“Houston, we have a problem”

Surely you have heard this phrase ad nauseam. In fact, most people use it without even knowing where it comes from or, worse, whether it is a part of the history of space conquest or the dialogue of some science fiction movie. Almost fifty years after the events that gave rise to the popular phrase, NeoTeo tells you its origin.

The Apollo missions began in July 1960, when the NASA announced a project that would be the continuation of the Mercury missions that took the first American into space. Apollo's goal was to get astronauts to orbit our natural satellite and determine the most suitable place for a future lunar landing.

However, and due to the political pressures derived from the Cold War, the initial plans were radically modified when President John F. Kennedy announced in 1961 that his country would be capable of sending a man to the Moon and returning him safely before the end of the decade, a goal that would be accomplished on July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin, aboard Apollo 11, landed on the Sea of Tranquility.

But the Apollo project did not stop there. The scientists wanted to collect samples and study other regions of the Moon, so they continued sending successive missions that landed on our satellite. Among them was the Apollo 13 mission. Both the famous Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 had landed on the Moon without complications, but many scientists complained that the lunar samples collected (in the Sea of Tranquility and in the Ocean of Storms) could well correspond to old meteorites that fell on the Moon and not “genuine lunar material.” For this reason, mission number 13 would land in a higher terrain, in the region of the Fra Mauro crater, where the astronauts would ensure they obtained authentic lunar material.

The crew of Apollo 13, which took off on Saturday, April 11, 1970 from the Kennedy Space Center, was made up of James Lowell, 42, who had great experience (more than 570 hours) in space; John Swigert (replacing Ken Mattingly who had caught measles) who served as command module pilot; and Fred W. Haise, 36, in charge of piloting the lunar module. The three did not know that their mission would be one of the most complicated of the Apollo series, and that miraculously they would manage to save their lives.

Problems for Apollo 13

As we said, the mission took off on Saturday, April 11, 1970 at 14:13 (local time, UTC -5). Five minutes into the flight, the problems began. The astronauts noticed a vibration and the central engine of the second stage shut down two minutes earlier than scheduled, causing the remaining four rockets to have to run almost 10 seconds longer than planned to put Apollo 13 into orbit. Despite this, James Lowell communicated to NASA control that the mission continued within the expected parameters.

But history would show that the problems of Apollo 13 had begun much earlier. Some tests carried out before the launch had detected problems in the thermal insulation of the helium tank that would be used in the descent stage of the lunar module, a fact that caused some delays in the original flight plan. Finally, pressure sensors were installed in the tank, and the matter was considered closed.

One of the tanks that contained the oxygen that the astronauts would breathe during the mission was not new. In fact, it corresponded to the Apollo 10 mission, but since it had been damaged when it was removed from the original ship for modifications, it was set aside. Later, it was sent to the manufacturer who reconditioned it, tested it, and installed it in the command module of Apollo 13. NASA repeated the tests on the oxygen tanks and discovered that the “second-hand” material had problems evaporating the liquid oxygen used in the tests.

After intense debate, it was decided to use a series of electrical resistances (which already existed in each tank) to heat its interior and evaporate the remaining oxygen. The trick worked, but it needed 65 volts of direct current for about 8 hours to completely evaporate the oxygen. The ship's batteries had enough capacity to perform this task, so the tank was left installed.

When the mission was about 55 hours into flight, the crew made a live television transmission that lasted about an hour, to “demonstrate how comfortable it is to live in space” although, obviously, the reasons were basically political propaganda. Nine minutes after the transmission ended, Swigert received the order to stir the oxygen tanks. As soon as he tried, the oxygen tank inherited from Apollo 10 exploded, also damaging the remaining tank.

The fuel cells that provided electricity, water, oxygen and light stopped working when the astronauts were 320 thousand kilometers away from Earth. The explosion, which must have been terrible, took off the cover of one side of the service module and gave the ship a trail of debris that made it look like a small comet.

“Houston, we have a problem”

Astronaut John Swigert, looking at the warning lights on the control panel of the battered module, immediately after the explosion, was the one who uttered the (later famous) phrase: "Houston, we have a problem". It was 21 hours and 8 minutes on April 13, 1970. Finally, and not without many risks and sacrifices, the astronauts managed to abort the mission and return, safe and sound, to Earth. The lack of oxygen forced them to “move” to the lunar module, and they only had about 150 cubic centimeters of water per day. Very dehydrated and with up to 7 kilograms less in weight each, they splashed down at 12:07 in the afternoon on April 17, 1970, only six kilometers from the rescue ship.

The phrase uttered by Swigert would become a classic, and four decades later many still repeat it when they find themselves in trouble. In fact, the NASA astronauts themselves joke using the famous “Houston, we have a problem”, but always respecting the value of their companions who almost lost their lives due to a technical failure.

The Apollo 13 mission, despite all its problems, ended well. The Hollywood industry paid tribute with a movie starring Tom Hanks and based on a book written by James Lowell himself, which is already a classic.