1. WRITTEN BY DONALD LEMKE ILLUSTRATED BY KEITH TUCKER Book Trailer by Amy Grout Saint Leo University

2. Houston, we have a problem. Jim Lovell 3. NASA Director: This could be the worst problem NASAs ever face. Gene Kranz: With all due respect, sir, I believe this is going to be our finest hour. 4. Gentlemen, its been a privilege flying with you. Jim Lovell 5. For most people, landing on the moon was a fantasy. However, the men and women at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Agency) believed it could be done. On July 20,1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon. In November of 1969, Apollo 12 did as well. On April 11, 1970, Commander Jim Lovell and his crew planned to repeat history. Each member of the crew knew that they would be making history when they stepped out onto the moons surface. The crew of Apollo 13 DID make historybut not for the reason they expected. 6. Commander John Lovell, along with crew members Fred Haise and Jack Swigert boarded the command module, Odyssey, to fly the Apollo 13 misson. 7. On April 13, two days after lift-off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a loud explosion shook the Odyssey. Commander Lovell immediately contacted mission control in Houston. 8. After looking out the window, Lovell reported that the command module was venting some type of gas. They quickly discovered it was oxygen leaking from the rocket. 9. In Houston, Flight Control faced the horrible truth that the astronauts would run out of oxygen, making it impossible for them to breathe. 10. Most Americans tuned in to watch the live broadcast. People feared the worst. Once the astronauts began their reentry into Earths atmosphere, all radio communications would stop working. They were expected to be out of communication for three minutes. Four and a half minutes later, there was still no word from the astronauts. No one knew if they had survived or if the spacecraft had burned up during reentry. 11. To find out what happened and learn more about the mission, check out The Apollo 13 Mission a graphic novel by Donald Lemke.