317. [Apollo 13] THE ILL-FATED LAUNCH OF THE MOST PERILOUS SPACE MISSION EXPERIENCED BY HUMANS NASA, 11 April 1970 Printed 1970. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image 107-KSC-70PC-117]. With NASA caption numbered "107-KSC-70PC-117", Technicolour photo lab quality control stamp and "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA Kennedy Space Centre, Florida). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context The iconic launch of Apollo 13—a mission that would test the limits of human survival. On April 11, 1970, at 2:13 p.m. EST, Apollo 13 thundered into the sky atop the Saturn V, beginning what was intended to be NASA's third lunar landing. The rocket erupted in a brilliant blaze of fire and smoke powerfully propelling Apollo 13 skyward from Kennedy Space Centre's Launch Complex 39A. The launch proceeded flawlessly, and the shockwave rippled across the lagoon, where the towering rocket was mirrored in the still waters. But just two days later, an explosion in the Service Module turned the mission into a tense battle for survival. For four agonizing days, the world watched as the crippled spacecraft drifted toward the Moon and back, with uncertainty hanging over the fate of the crew. Apollo 13 would go down in history not for landing on the Moon—but for one of the most daring and heroic space rescues ever attempted. The drama of Apollo 13 began even before the spacecraft left the ground. By early April 1970, mission Commander James Lovell, Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly, and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise had spent nearly a year training for their historic exploration of the Moon's Fra Mauro highlands. However, days before launch, the crew was exposed to German measles. NASA doctors feared that Mattingly—who had never contracted the illness—might fall sick during the mission. Despite Lovell's objections, Mattingly was replaced by backup astronaut Jack Swigert at the last minute.