[Apollo 13]

Ex-Charles "Chuck" E. McKim, Operational Team Leader on the recovery and deactivation/decontamination team from North American Aviation (later North American Rockwell) for all Apollo missions.

FLOWN TO THE MOON ON A LUNAR "FLYBY", AND EXPOSED TO THE VACUUM OF SPACE ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE DAMAGED COMMAND MODULE "AQUARIUS"

The Apollo 13 spacecraft was launched atop the Saturn V rocket on April 11, 1970. It was made up of three parts: the Command Module “Odyssey,” and the Service Module (both manufactured by North American Aviation, later North American Rockwell); and the Lunar Module “Aquarius” (manufactured by Grumman Aircraft Company). The Lunar Module itself was a two stage spacecraft. The mission was crewed by Mission Commander Jim Lovell, Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert, and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise.

Apollo 13 was scheduled to be NASA's third moon-landing mission. However, following an oxygen tank explosion, the spacecraft shifted from a moon-bound landing unit to a crippled vessel. The crew used Lunar Module Aquarius as a "lifeboat" for the majority of the mission. Powering Odyssey back up on the harrowing return to Earth, the crew found that the interior of the CM was covered with water condensation and suspected the same was true behind the interior paneling. Luckily, safeguards built into the Command Module design after the tragic fire of Apollo 1 prevented any arcing. However, the condensation inside the CM caused it to "rain" inside the spacecraft as the crew re-entered Earth's orbit.

The Apollo 13 crew safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa on April 17, 1970. To this day, the mission is regarded as evidence of NASA's innovation saving lives on the fly.

The "BOOST COVER RELEASE" decal was used to indicate to the NASA ground crew where to insert their tools to release the boost cover on the primary access hatch in the event of an emergency on the pad. This system would allow the crew to escape the vehicle as soon as possible, a safety precaution designed and built into all command modules after the tragic deaths of the Apollo 1 crew.

An Apollo 13 mission patch is included in this lot. The sun on the emblem behind the three horses represents the Greek god Apollo driving a chariot across the surface of the Moon, to symbolize "how Apollo flights have extended the light of knowledge to all mankind" (NASA). The mission's slogan, "From the Moon, Knowledge," referred to the mission's science objectives.

In startling prescience, the mission emblem design did not feature the crewmembers' names because the mission was broadly dedicated to the goal of advancing science for all humanity. The fateful events of the mission underscored the staggering teamwork of hundred of engineers on Earth to assist the crew in returning home against seemingly insurmountable odds. Aside from the Apollo 11 emblem, which similarly left off crew names as the mission was dedicated for all humankind, all other Apollo emblems feature the names of the astronauts involved.