Synopsis

During the Apollo 13 mission to the Moon, an oxygen-tank explosion cripples the spacecraft and turns a routine lunar landing into a desperate fight for survival. With power, water, and oxygen running dangerously low, the astronauts and NASA's mission controllers must improvise under pressure, using limited resources and precise calculations to bring the crew safely back to Earth.

Factoids & Trivia

• The screenplay was based on Lost Moon, the memoir written by astronaut Jim Lovell and journalist Jeffrey Kluger.

• NASA provided extensive technical assistance. The performers portraying the astronauts trained with mission specialists and learned the layout and procedures of the Apollo spacecraft.

• The weightless scenes were filmed aboard NASA's KC-135 reduced-gravity aircraft, commonly called the "Vomit Comet." The production completed hundreds of parabolic maneuvers, allowing the camera and performers to float for brief periods during each take.

• Other scenes used a studio-built spacecraft set, with movement and staging designed to match the genuine weightless footage.

• The film uses the famous line "Houston, we have a problem," although the actual transmission was closer to "Houston, we've had a problem." Ron Howard chose the more familiar wording because it had already entered popular language.

• Jim Lovell appears briefly in the film as the USS Iwo Jima's captain during the recovery sequence.

• The production recreated NASA's Mission Control with close attention to period equipment, procedures, and terminology. Former flight controllers reviewed the script and helped the filmmakers reproduce the working environment.

• Apollo 13 received nine Academy Award nominations at the 68th Academy Awards and won for Film Editing and Sound.

• In 2023, the Library of Congress selected Apollo 13 for preservation in the National Film Registry.