Heroes In Houston

 

HEROES IN HOUSTON (July 24 is the 55th anniversary of man landing on the moon) 

By Gail K. Kachnycz January 13, 2022 

     As a child growing up, I followed the Apollo Space Program with interest. The timeline of the program, 1961 through 1972, roughly coincided with my school years. I vividly remember myself, as a young first grader, sitting on the floor of the multipurpose room in my school as the whole student body assembled to watch the launch of a manned space rocket. As I grew older, the Apollo program advanced, growing ever closer to the goal of placing a man on the moon.

     I also remember July 24, 1969, waiting not so patiently for Neil Armstrong to step out of the Lunar Module [LM] onto the moon’s surface. In all, there were 17 Apollo missions. The one that impressed me the most was the one that never landed a man on the moon: Apollo 13. 

     The flight of Apollo 13 in 1970 was uneventful until 10:08 PM EST on April 13, when Jack Swigert, and then Jim Lovell, spoke the now famous words, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Damaged insulation on wiring in an oxygen tank ignited during a routine stirring of the tank, causing an explosion which emptied the oxygen from that tank. Without sufficient oxygen in the Command Module, the astronauts relocated to the LM to conserve what resources remained. The moon mission was scrubbed and the focus became bringing the astronauts safely back to earth. It seemed that the whole world watched and waited, hoping to see the men return.

     In Houston, Mission Control was working around the clock, tasked with finding solutions to a myriad of problems. The LM was not intended to support three men for four days, and rising carbon dioxide levels could suffocate them. The carbon dioxide scrubbers from the Command Module were incompatible with the scrubbers in the LM, but the ground crew developed a way to adapt and combine the systems, using only materials that were on board the spacecraft. The flight pattern was altered to use the gravity of the moon to provide momentum and “slingshot” the spacecraft back to earth. Careful corrections or “burns” of the rocket engines had to be calculated to position the spacecraft at the proper angle for safe entry through the earth’s atmosphere. Too sharp an angle, and the capsule might burn up. Too shallow, and it might “bounce off,” hurling the spaceship to outer space, beyond hope of returning. 

     At the time, I was a high schooler, and was following all the news reports of the mission. I understood to some degree the grave danger the astronauts were facing. However several weeks before, we had celebrated Easter, the Holy Day which proclaims that the power of death has been overcome. It was the first Easter that I personally trusted the Savior to pay the price for my sins and restore me to my Heavenly Father. I couldn’t believe that Jesus would die to redeem mankind, and then allow three men to careen off into space. God had a purpose for mankind, that purpose was on earth, and He would bring those three astronauts back to earth. I prayed for them with the hope of that conviction. 

     On April 17, 1970, millions watched the televised splashdown of the Apollo 13 capsule. The world breathed a sigh of relief as the three men, fellow humans and brothers to us all, were plucked from the Pacific and brought to safety. The faces of Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise were on the front pages of every newspaper. But, I think they would be the first to agree that the ground crew at Mission Control were just as heroic: they faced a situation where failure was not an option, and delivered success. Apollo 13 demonstrated the dedication and determination the ground crew brought to every mission. 

     As a care-giver, recognize that you need a "ground crew," not only for prayer, but for practical help. Share your practical needs with others, and you will find people willing to lend a hand, some occasionally and others who will support you regularly. When Apollo 13 realized they needed help, they reported it immediately and the Ground Crew went into action.