CHICAGO – SurvivingApollo 13 astronauts and severalflight directors
reunited on Monday to remember a failed moon mission 40 years ago this
week that they managed to turn into one of the greatest triumphs in the
history of space exploration.Those who gathered included Apollo 13commander James Lovell, fellow crew memberFred Haise andNASA‘s legendaryflight director, Gene Kranz — all three of whom were immortalized in the 1995 movie “Apollo 13,” which starredTom Hanks as Lovell.
“There’s
truly a unique bond. There is a brotherhood,” Kranz said about how the
crisis forged a lifelong bond between everyone involved.The
Adler Planetarium, where the reunion took place, is holding a series of
events this month commemorating the Apollo 13 flight. One exhibit
includes a lunar helmet and gloves that Lovell was supposed to wear on
the moon had the mission gone as planned.
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