Why Was Apollo 13 Significant

Despite Apollo 13 being considered a failed mission due to the fact that they did not land on the moon, it may have actually helped NASA out and proved to themselves that they can handle things in high pressure situations. The mission was able to get some exploration done by taking pictures of the moon, but the only encounters that took place were problems such as an oxygen tank explosion. What make this mission historically significant is that it boosted US morale because they were able to return the crew to earth safely while further advancing progress in the space race. Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission installment in the American Apollo Space Program, and was intended to be the third lunar landing, although that did not go to plan. It was a failed lunar landing, but it failed before they even considered landing on the moon with an oxygen tank exploding shortly after liftoff. This mission hurt NASA in the fact that it was a failed mission, but it helped them in the fact that they returned all 3 men onboard of the spacecraft safely to earth (for the most part), they got photography of the moon, and showed that they could adapt under unexpected situations. First, to introduce Apollo 13, it was apart of the American Apollo space program. It was the seventh manned mission and …show more content…
Well, to start off, it was planned to be the third manned lunar landing according to HQ.NASA.gov, which was going to be a pretty big deal had it gone successfully. Also, had it gone successfully, the US could have possibly taken the lead in the “Space Race” between them and the Soviet Union. Plus, this mission also proved to NASA, and the rest of the world, that they were able to handle high pressure situations and do whatever it took to ensure a safe-ish trip home for their crew. It proved that when everybody needed to unite in order to help someone else out they would, and that is what makes this mission so historically