Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the Apollo space program and the third intended to land on the moon.
The craft was launched on April 11, 1970 but the lunar landing was aborted after an oxygen tank exploded two days later, crippling the service module (SM) upon which the command module (CM) had depended.
Despite great hardship caused by limited power, loss of cabin heat, shortage of portable water and the critical need to make makeshift repairs to the carbon dioxide removal system, the crew returned safely to Earth on April 17, 1970, six days after launch.
Hang Psalm 20 on the Apollo 13 moon mission
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah
4 May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfil all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfil all your petitions!
6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
9 O Lord, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
Houston, we have a problem. Astronaut’s request to mission control to answer. Houston, we have a problem.
Day of Trouble = DOT think of morse code plea from astronauts hoping for an answer
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
You are in the SERVICE MODULE Imagine on the service module a protective shield with the name Jacob written on it moves into position
May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion.
Look out the window. The oxygen gas escaping from the ruptured tank makes a hissing noise HSSZ
Note you ‘ Send for Help’
Help Sanctuary
Note you ‘Give support’
Support Zion
3 May he Remember all your offerings
and Regard with favour your burnt sacrifices!
Move up to the cockpit – Houston tells you to :
R – Remember to turn off the gas cooker rings
All there is to eat is:
R – Charred (regard) flavour (favour) of burnt sacks
4 May he grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfil all your plans.
He Grant = Hugh Grant is one of your astronaut colleagues. The other is Phil fulfil
Your heart’s desire is get home. As you go round the dark side of the moon you see a huge heart on the surface of the moon.
Fulfil all your plans The plan is to return to Earth. Beyond the moon you are now heading home!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God
set up our banners !
Back on planet earth people are getting ready for the astronauts return.
As they go up ladders they shout for joy as they unfurl banners across the street.
The banners have NOOG written on them ‘Name of Our God’
May the Lord fulfil all your petitions.
People across the world pray
6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
Lord Saves his anointed = salts (saves) his anointed with sea water!
He will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand
Hole in heaven = holy heaven
Saving might =
SAM USA is written on an enormous Right hand that comes through the hole in the heaven
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God
The capsule is returned to the maintenance hanger, by some RUSTY (trust) chariots and some horses
it is pulled on LOGs (Lord Our God)
8 They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.
The chariots and horses collapse
But the astronauts rise and stand upright
O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call.
The USA national anthem ‘God save the King‘!
Make a call on your mobile to the President.
I hope he answers
055:55:19 Swigert: Okay, Houston…
055:55:19 Lovell: …Houston…
055:55:20 Swigert: …we’ve had a problem here. [Pause.]
055:55:26 Fenner (GUIDO): FLIGHT, GUIDANCE.
055:55:27 Kranz (FLIGHT): Go GUIDANCE.
055:55:28 Lousma: This is Houston. Say again, please.
056:09:07 Lovell: That’s AC, okay. Yeah, that’s – that’s a – good with AC and it looks to me, looking out the hatch, that we are venting something. We are – We are venting something out into the – into space.
In this remarkable comment from Jim, he calmly finishes talking about the AC power situation before he announces the startling news that he can see something leaking from the ship.
056:09:08 Kranz (FLIGHT): Roger.
056:09:16 Kranz (FLIGHT): Crew thinks they are venting something!
056:09:18 Liebergot (EECOM): I heard it, FLIGHT.
056:09:22 Lousma: Roger. We copy your venting.
056:09:27 Lousma (CAPCOM): Copy that, FLIGHT?
056:09:29 Lovell: It’s a gas of some sort. [Long pause.]
Here are some notes on Psalm 20 you might like to look at:
All photos used are permitted by NASA and/or are copyright free