April 17, 1970
Astronauts are home
At 1:08 p.m. EST, the command module Odyssey splashed down in the Pacific Ocean just 4 miles from the rescue ship USS Iwo Jima.
To prepare for the return, earlier in the day the astronauts James Lovell, Fred Haise and John Swigert left the lunar module, Aquarius, and tested the module. Lovell commented that once they did that, they finally saw the damage caused by the explosion. He said, “There’s one whole side of that spacecraft missing. It’s really a mess.” Mission Control added, “Farewell Aquarius and we thank you.”
From that point, the trio were ready for their return. At some point with their reentry into the Earth atmosphere, it was reported their speed was over 24,000 miles per hour. The atmosphere and three large parachutes helped to slow the ship down to 22 miles per hour when it finally hit the waters of the Pacific.
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- The Scranton Times – April 17, 1970
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- The Tribune – April 17, 1970
Hundreds of shoppers and the curious filled the television display area of the Globe Store to witness the moment the astronauts of Apollo 13 — Lovell, Haise and Swigert — were back on planet Earth. Across the street at Scranton Dry Goods, store employees set up televisions throughout the store so shoppers and employees could witness the historic moment.
Apollo 13 Editorial Cartoon by Lew Harsh. Times-Tribune Archives
Those watching the moment shared their feelings with a Scranton Times reporter. Here are a few of those thoughts:
% “That was wonderful. The best news I’ve ever heard. I got there just in time to see it,” said Andrew Brooks of Taylor.
% “It was a most amazing feat. I hope they never have to duplicate it,” said Dante Inzillo of Scranton.
% “I’m really thrilled they made it. I’m sorry they couldn’t have landed on the moon but their lives are more important than anything else,” said Mrs. David Parry of Scranton.
Related Material –
Apollo 13 In Real Time – a website that uses data, images, sound and video to recreate the mission – https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/
Apollo 13 video collection – collection of videos dealing with the mission – https://archive.org/details/jsc-pao-video-collection?and[]=Apollo+13+Resource+Reel&sin=&sort=-publicdate
Houston We Have A Podcast – a collection of Apollo related podcasts from the Johnson Space Center – https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/apollo50th
Apollo 13 Images of the Moon in 4k – https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13537
Old Forge Native looks back on mission control job during moon landing – Caitlin Heaney West – July 15, 2019
To The Moon and Chappaquiddick – Episode One of the Historically Hip podcast featuring Brian Fulton and Caitlin Heaney West – July 11, 2019
Brian Fulton has been the librarian at The Times-Tribune for the past 15 years. On his blog, Historically Hip, he writes about the great concerts, plays/musicals and celebrity happenings that have taken place throughout NEPA. He is also the co-host of the local history podcast, Historically Hip. He competed and was crowned grand champion on an episode of NPR quiz show “Ask Me Another.” Contact: bfulton@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9140; or @TTPagesPast
