Moon Missions: Apollo 13
Introduction
There was no evidence as the third lunar landing mission launched in April 1970 that Apollo 13 would be memorable as a failure. Astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise planned a trip to the moon, and Lovell and Haise expected to land in the Fra Mauro region for a couple days of lunar exploration.
The third landing attempt was canceled 55 hours into the flight when an oxygen tank explosion in the Service Module crippled the spacecraft. The Lunar Module was used as a lifeboat and sustained the crew for 3 days until they could return to Earth.
An Apollo 13 mission patch.
The actual Apollo 13 lunar landing mission prime crew. From left to right: Commander James A. Lovell Jr., Command Module Pilot John L. Swigert Jr., Lunar Module Pilot Fred W. Haise Jr. The original Command Module pilot for this mission was Thomas "Ken" Mattingly Jr., but due to exposure to German measles he was replaced by his backup, Command Module Pilot John L. "Jack" Swigert Jr.