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Apollo 13 Splashdown and Recovery

197061 min 45 sec297 shots

Apollo 13 returns through Earth’s atmosphere while Mission Control tracks the expected end of the communications blackout and the deployment of drogue and main parachutes. Television images show the command module descending beneath its parachutes, and cheers follow confirmation of splashdown near the recovery ship Iwo Jima. The film explains that the crew had traveled around the Moon with help from the lunar module Aquarius after an explosion left the service propulsion system unusable.

Helicopters and swimmers secure the command module with a sea anchor, flotation collar, and raft before opening its hatch. The three astronauts climb into the raft and are lifted one at a time in a rescue net to a Navy helicopter. Closing footage shows men in flight suits walking on the recovery ship and meeting officers, crew members, photographers, and other waiting personnel.

Provenance and rights

Original producer: NASA
Collection: NASA Image and Video Library
Original title: Apollo 13 Splashdown and Recovery
Date: 1970
Original link: Open on images.nasa.gov
Rights: public_domain