AllMovie

This volume of the ten-part series on events that shaped the modern world covers one of the major calamaties in modern aviation. The program examines the 1970 crisis aboard Apollo 13 during a routine lunar mission. An oxygen tank explosion thrust the astronauts into extreme peril, and only after several tense days in space did they heroically manage to steer the severely damaged spacecraft back to earth safely. Did NASA send the ship up knowing there was a mechanical problem? What exactly caused the explosion in the first place? The program contains graphic film footage of the event that captivated the world, as well as interviews and personal accounts of the near-catastrophe.