AllMovie

President John F. Kennedy issued the challenge to America in a speech to Congress in 1961: Land a man on the moon within the decade. This HBO mini-series, produced by Tom Hanks, chronicles the story of NASA's efforts to carry out the vision. Episode eight examines the short-lived trip of Apollo 13, when astronauts James Lovell, Fred Haise Jr., and John Swigert Jr. had to return to Earth before landing on the moon, because of technical problems on the spacecraft. The film's focus on the press coverage of the event makes for a new perspective on the story.