Misfortunate Monday: The Apollo 13 Explosion

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's edition of Misfortunate Monday, we'll be discussing the Apollo 13 explosion. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     The Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the Apollo Space Program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center, but the mission was aborted because an oxygen tank onboard failed after two days into the mission. The crew looped around the moon rather than land on it. All crew members returned to Earth safe and sound.

     The problem occurred when a routine stir of the oxygen tanks damaged wire insulation inside it, causing an explosion that vented the contents of the tank into space. Without the oxygen needed for breathing, the life support systems could not operate. The vessel's systems had to be shut down to conserve its remaining resources for reentry into the Pacific Ocean.

     While it was certainly a tragedy, it has been dramatized, most notably the movie Apollo 13.

     Apollo 13's damaged module:
     
     Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13