April 16, 1970
Astronauts on their way home
At 11:32 p.m. on April 15, astronaut James Lovell pressed a button to fire the lunar lander engines in a maneuver that could mean the three-man crew getting home or not.
The firing worked. The ship was on the corrected path for its return to Earth.
NASA officials said that if all went well from this point, the spacecraft with the astronauts aboard would splash down about 600 miles from Pago Pago in the Pacific Ocean in the afternoon of April 17.
Friends and foes offered assistance to NASA in the recovery of the astronauts after the splashdown. Russia announced it was sending two merchant ships to the South Pacific to help. Great Britain also moved ships into the area. France, Italy, Spain and South American countries also told the U.S. that their naval forces were at the ready to respond as well if needed.
Casey holds fundraiser
State Auditor General Robert P. Casey held a fundraiser for his run for the Democratic nomination for governor at the Casey Inn on April 15.
Over 1,500 people attend the gala event that raised an estimated $80,000 for his campaign, according to the party committee’s treasurer, attorney Henry P. Burke.
This was the first major event to take place at the hotel since its closure and reopening in 1969.
At the movies
“Midnight Cowboy” and “Alice’s Restaurant” at the Comerford, “True Grit” at the Center, “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” at the West Side, and “McKenna’s Gold” and “Cactus Flower” at the Circle Drive-In.
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