45 Years Ago: Apollo 13

This week marks the 45th anniversary of the start of a mission that came to be known as NASA’s most famous successful failure. Apollo 13 captured the world’s attention after an explosion crippled the spacecraft. The three astronauts and dozens of flight controllers labored for days to solve one challenge after another, eventually bringing the three astronauts home.

Walter Cronkite and former astronaut Wally Schirra covered the accident for CBS as it was happening. Now we have 24 hour cable news networks constantly on the air whether they have something to talk about or not. Back in 1970 however, few stories actually warranted around the clock coverage. It’s very interesting to watch Cronkite and Schirra react to things as they happen.

(h/t to Rob Hart for the video)