“The astronaut is the most visible member of a very large team; and all of us, right down to the guy sweeping the floor, are honored to be a part of it” (Apollo 13). Uttered by the character of astronaut Jim Lovell, these words ring true throughout Apollo 13 where the strong relationship between the crew and mission control highlights teamwork as a necessity. This film focuses on the events of Apollo 13, which was a mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s manned spaceflight program. The goal of the mission was to land two astronauts on the moon to collect geological samples. However, the crew never made it there because an explosion in the middle of their flight damaged much of their rocket and its systems. Leaving …show more content…
He has such a bond with the other astronauts, however, that he joins mission control to help figure out a way to bring the crew home despite his disappointment about not being with them in space. After spending countless hours in the simulator working under the same conditions as the astronauts in space were, Ken is able to figure out a way to conserve enough power to get the crew back to Earth. Ken’s addition to mission control is effective in making the crew feel comfortable, as shown by the relief astronaut Jim Lovell expresses when he hears Ken’s voice over his headset. This is crucial to their ability to go through with the re-entry plans despite the amount of stress which is placed on them. The calming effect he has on the crew and the significant role he plays in making the re-entry plans demonstrates how Ken is truly a member of the Apollo 13 crew. Ultimately, Ken does not complain that he is not on the mission, instead he willingly helps in whatever way he can just like everyone else working to bring the crew home. Having such a character showcases how teamwork should be prioritized more than anything …show more content…
One such instance occurs just before launch, when flight director Kranz goes through all the different members of mission control and asks if they are go for launch. Scenes like this emphasize the victorious feelings synonymous with the relationship between mission control and the crew.
Mission control is so collectively invested in bringing the crew home safely that there are massive celebrations once the crew is back on Earth. Wide sweeping shots near the end of the film show all of mission control erupt in applause once the crew responds to Ken’s message. Both Ken and the NASA flight director, Gene Kranz, look relieved and choked up once the crew is safe. This display of emotion exhibits the connection mission control has with the Apollo 13 astronauts by the end of the film. This connection allows them to work better as a team due to mutual trust and understanding. Astronaut Jim Lovell sums up the teamwork present in Apollo 13 by saying “I sometimes find myself looking up at the moon…thinking of the thousands of people who worked to bring the three of us home” (Apollo 13). From their expertise to their collaboration with astronaut Ken Mattingly, mission control plays a vital role in the safe return of the Apollo 13 crew, who could have lost their lives in space had it not been for
...ause it was the mission that NASA was able to put the first man up onto the moon. Neil Armstrong was the pilot of the Apollo 11 flight. There was a special shuttle that was attached to the spaceship; it was called the Eagle. The Eagle was designed to transport some crew members down to the moon. Armstrong was responsible for driving and landing the shuttle safely down to the moon. While on his way down to the moon, Armstrong realized that he was starting to run out of fuel. Thankfully, Armstrong did have enough to land on the moon and make it back up to the spaceship. When the Eagle was leaving the spaceship for the first time up in space, it wasn't completely depressurized so there was something like a gas bubble come from the shuttle as it was on its way to the moon. The gas bubble moved the shuttle off course and the Eagle actually landed four miles off course.
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.
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
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
Apollo 13 is a 1995 American space adventure film directed by Ron Howard. The film depicts astronauts Jim Lovell,
“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.
During the classroom scenes, emotions were high and the mood was tense. Kranz kept his composure and remained calm. He stated the mission had to be improvised to get the crew home. He opened the discussion for debate. He kept the classroom calm and pointed out the facts about the situation. He stated that he didn’t care what the equipment was designed to do, he cared about what it could do. He deflected negative feedback. He pushed the team to get a layout of the plan. In the second scene, he listened to his experts and considered his deadlines and firmly established that they must succeed.
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.
While clearly the scientific advances in space exploration were the most obvious successes of the Apollo program, some historians like NASA’s Roger D. Launius report that perhaps the most important legacy of the program was in the way so many people had to come together to manage such a gigantic and important project. This had never been done before and many think it could never be replicated again.
She starts out by emphasizing the tense, yet trilling feelings created in the audience. Janet claims that the film “ understands the difference between movie bravado and real courage, and it celebrates the latter in inspiring ways that have almost gone out of style”. She notes that the actors chosen to play the roles of the astronauts, including Tom Hanks, added to the film. Janet claims the movie and its characters are brave and uplifting. She also notes the fact that the stone-cold fear felt by everyone and group effort needed adds to the rawness and appeal of the film. She references the group effort of the Mission Control Center to bring the astronauts home, and the feelings of the astronauts on board during times such as the shutdown of the Odyssey. Janet also brings attention to the famous line “Houston, we have a problem”. She says the one is best remembered and “ It's a small but important change, one more way that "Apollo 13" unfolds with perfect immediacy”. Overall Janet Maslin loved Apollo 13 and recommends it for anyone who is old enough to understand its
Before the splashdown of Apollo 11, Aldrin said, "We feel this stands as a symbol of the insatiable curiosity of all mankind to explore the unknown." (space.about.com) The mission was accomplished and Kennedy’s dream was fulfilled. America was the first to send men to the moon and return them safely to the earth. (space.about.com)
On April 13, 1970, NASA's Mission Control heard the five words that no control center ever wants to hear: "We've got a problem here." Jack Swigert, an astronaut aboard the Apollo 13 aircraft, reported the problem of broken down oxygen tanks to the Houston Control Center, less than two days after its takeoff on April 11th. Those at the Control Center in Houston were unsure what had happened to the spacecraft, but knew that some sort of explosion had occurred. This so-called explosion sent Apollo 13 spinning away from the Earth at 2,000 miles per hour, 75 percent of the way to the moon. In order to get the astronauts back to the Earth's atmosphere would be to utilize the moon's gravitational pull and send them back towards home, like a slingshot. 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 that the options of refueling the spacecraft with oxygen or retrieve 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.
~"The 1969 Moon Landing: First Humans to Walk on Another World." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2001. U.S. History in Context. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” It was July 20 1969, the day that reshaped our nation and gave us unparalleled dreams for the future. The impact of the day goes far beyond our pride and nationalism; that day would change space exploration and technology forever. Just like a shooting star, that day would give us a glimpse of hope. A chance to see an event so breathtaking and defying, it would be man’s greatest accomplishment in the 20th century. As millions of people watched from their TV sets, a rush of euphoria came over the nation as Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the surface of the moon. It was the first time in the history of mankind that we would step on the surface of another celestial body. John F. Kennedy dared us to dream, he inspired the nation to reach for the moon, to set ourselves apart from the rest of the world. The Space Race was symbolic of many things. Our future as the technically dominate nation was secured in place; just as secure as Old Glory would be, when she was driven down into the soil of the moon. We not only reached the moon, we conquered it as a nation; united.