Apollo 13 Failure

936 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Apollo 13 movie analysis

The film Apollo 13 is based on the true story of Nasa’s seventh manned mission in the Apollo Space Program, which was planned to be a lunar-landing mission. After astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert leave orbit, everything goes as intended for about two days until one of the oxygen tanks unexpectedly explodes when Jim stirs them. This causes the scheduled moon landing to be canceled and puts the safety of the crew on the line. From then on out, Mission Control back home must help the astronauts find a way to survive the horrendous circumstances and miraculously return home. Apollo 13 is a good representation of the five main components of an organization that went from good to great, according to Jim Collins’ book titled …show more content…

After Apollo 13’s oxygen tank fails, Nasa’s mission changes from sending astronauts on the moon to bringing the astronauts on the Apollo 13 mission home safely, meaning that the trip will no longer be as profitable. However, they were able to deliver on their new mission with what little resources they had. Due to this, the Apollo 13 mission is often referred to as "a successful failure”. Those involved with Apollo 13 didn't achieve their original goal but the fact that they accomplished their new goal is more important. Furthermore, Collins writes how a great performance depends on how effectively one delivers on their mission and makes a distinctive impact, relative to their resources. In their situation, Mission Control and the astronauts did an incredible job with the resources they had and their effort changed the outcome of the event. It resulted in exceeding expectations and achieving what seemed impossible. “A great organization is one that delivers superior performance [and shows lasting endurance]” (Collins, J. 2001) and Nasa proved itself to be one by bringing Jim, Fred, and Jack back home alive and well after facing numerous

Show More
Related

  • Apollo 13: Gene Krantz's Team

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    At this time, he set the tone for importance of effective communication which also set the tone and importance of effective communication for the success of the mission. He set his expectations and the seriousness of the issue for the team. He deliberately and consciously, empowered the teams to come up with the best solutions and then used those recommendations to make the best decisions when trying to save the space craft. He made it very clear how each person’s expertise was crucial for all of the others’

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Man Takes First Steps On The Moon

    1608 Words  | 4 Pages

    As a result of the successful mission that landed the first men on the moon, called the Apollo 11 mission, many people were inspired to provide commentary on this landing. Although these texts describe unique individual purposes about this landing, they all effectively support their purposes through the use of several rhetorical devices.

    Read More

  • Culminating Activity Analysis

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    The following four texts apart of the Culminating Activity were all related to the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, which had first put a man on the moon. The first article was from the Times of London, and served to describe the events of the moon landing from the astronaut's point of view. The article used anecdotal evidence to describe Aldrin and Armstrong's experience in order to inform the audience of what had occurred, as well as the reactions in several different countries.. The speaker is a from a reputable news source, The Times, and is informing the European audience - as this event was apart of America’s space program, NASA - of the landing as a great success. Although

    Read More

  • Apollo 13's Impact On Space Exploration

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    The amazing performances by the crew and ground support was what kept the crew alive. The crew and ground Apollo 13 had a huge impact on space exploration. Many people disagree with this because if they had stopped or changed the schedule of Apollo 13 they may not have failed their mission. Even though they failed at their goals the overall result was success. Apollo 13 was an amazing achievement for NASA even though they did not achieve their goals of landing on the Fra Mauro area of the moon. They landed in the pacific ocean on April 17th 1970. The name of their recovery ship was the USS Iwo Jima. The Fra Mauro site was reassigned for Apollo

    Read More

  • National Society Of Professional Engineers Code Of Ethics

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    All of the Apollo crews and mission control teams were well trained to operate under high-stress situations. All three crew members were previously test pilots, so they were all experienced in dealing with high-risk situations with no room for error. They were able to effectively communicate the problems they were experiencing back to the crew members in mission control. Both parties were able to communicate calmly and clearly, with little to no change in tone as the accident transpired. The ground crew members related all information to the flight crew, not withholding any information that they deemed pertinent to the

    Read More

  • The “Successful Failure” That Was Apollo 13

    1772 Words  | 4 Pages

    After safely exiting the Earth’s atmosphere and heading on course, a routine oxygen tank stir that was required often during space missions caused a coil in the tank to break loose and erupt, creating new unforeseen problems. The blast forced open most of the oxygen tanks as they leaked into space, increased the levels of carbon dioxide within the command module the men were traveling in, and severely decreased their power capabilities. Immediately NASA assembled the best and brightest men they had on staff to assess the situation and Flight Director Gene Kranz (played by Ed Harris) called off the Moon landing, changing the final task of the mission to a safe return home. Through repeated calculation, experimentation by Ken Mattingly who knew the module systems well, and a bit of luck, the men managed to slingshot themselves around the Moon, using its gravity to head back home on course. With...

    Read More

  • Leadership on Apollo 13

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, this procedure would require three days, and this demanded more oxygen and electricity than the crew had available to them. Eugene "Gene" Kranz, head of this flight mission, although looking on in horror, began thinking of solutions to the problem immediately after the Controls were aware of the problem on board. Knowing the options of refueling the spacecraft with oxygen or retrieving the astronauts himself, he needed to think of a strategy for a safe return. In this sense, if his solution fails, it could result in the biggest catastrophe in NASA history. There were dozens of people ready on the ground to assist this cause in whatever way possible, but no one helped this mission survive like Eugene "Gene" Kranz, especially as all final call decisions were in his hands.

    Read More

  • What Are The Developmental Themes In Apollo 13

    1615 Words  | 4 Pages

    Apollo 13 is a 1995 American space adventure film directed by Ron Howard. The film depicts astronauts Jim Lovell,

    Read More

  • Apollo 13 Disaster In Space

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    Are you focused on what you're doing and thinking during an emergency? Do you just give up if you’re stuck in a problem? In the Scholastic Scope article, “Disaster in Space,” it teaches us that in an emergency, we should remain calm and focused on the problem and to never give up, as the astronauts and engineers involved in the Apollo 13 mission did during an emergency on the spacecraft. These processes are exemplified in the Scholastic Scope article, “Disaster in Space” when it talks about how three astronauts handle an emergency that would have costed their lives. In conclusion, in the Scholastic Scope article, “Disaster in Space,” it teaches us that in an emergency, we should remain calm and focused on the problem, use our ingenuity, and never give up, as the astronauts and engineers involved in the Apollo 13 mission did during an emergency on the spacecraft.

    Read More

  • Apollo 13

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    1.I’d first have to say that the head of mission control on the ground was definitely

    Read More

  • Apollo 13 Accomplishments

    1964 Words  | 4 Pages

    Apollo 13 was a mission that some may grow to learn was a failure; It was in fact the complete opposite. Space entry was improved immensely, with the efforts and struggles gained from previous missions. In addition, one of the victims of this mission, Jim Lovell, “believed it was a success. Everyone was tested on their ability to work together and that is how Apollo 13 succeeded” (Anastasio 90). Future space entry missions would not have been as successful as they are without previous missions bettering the space program.

    Read More

  • Apollo Program Research Paper

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” was stated by Neil Armstrong once a national goal was accomplished. Landing successfully on the moon was a major goal for astronauts of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin were honored to be the very first of mankind to step foot on the moon, and allowed America to set future goals for outer-space journeys. With the assigned Apollo mission, America was granted much needed hope. Astronauts of NASA in the Apollo Program accomplished John F. Kennedy’s goal of placing the first man on the moon safely for the United States.

    Read More

  • Apollo 11

    3701 Words  | 8 Pages

    The goal of Apollo 11 was stated very simply. Perform manned lunar landing and return mission safely. Simply stated, but almost impossible to achieve, it was the mission NASA had been preparing for almost a decade, and nobody was trying to pretend this was just another launch.

    Read More

  • Apollo 13 Leadership

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a charismatic and strong leader, Gene respected the judgment and knowledge of each specialty area in his team. Controllers had to develop an intricate non programmed decision 500-step checklist for powering the command module back up in preparation for re-entry, revising it several times in the hours leading up to the spacecraft’s return to Earth. Each team member was held accountable to perfect their individual task, and in result each step was executed correctly resulting in a flawless “successful failure” mission.

    Read More

  • Apollo 11: The Greatest Achievement in Human History

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    “On July 16, 1969 the world watched in anticipation as three men were hurtled skyward in a rocket bound for the moon.” (news.nationalgeographic.com). This was the Apollo 11 spacecraft, the first successful manned mission to the moon. This mission was the product of the space race (race to see who would go into outer space first, against the Soviet Union). This goal was set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961 and he promised that we would be the first to step on the moon by the end of the decade. The Apollo 11 mission is often cited as the greatest achievement in human history. (news.nationalgeographic.com)

    Read More

More about Apollo 13 Failure

Open Document