1970-04-11 USA Apollo 13

An Apollo 13 launch cover featuring the mission insignia, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center with a machine cancel on April 11, 1970, signed by Fred Haise, James Lovell and Jack Swigert. This cover was originally from the collection of Clark C. McClelland. - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles

Apollo 13, launched on April 11, 1970, was the third lunar landing mission of the American Apollo space program. The flight was commanded by James A. Lovell, with John L. "Jack" Swigert serving as Command Module Pilot and Fred W. Haise as Lunar Module Pilot. Jack Swigert stepped in for Ken Mattingly, who had been exposed to German measles.

Photo: The Apollo 13 crew (from left to right): Jack Swigert, James Lovell, and Fred Haise.

An Apollo 13 launch cover featuring the mission insignia and a "KSC Officials" stamped cachet, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center with a machine cancel on April 11, 1970, signed by the backup crew: John Young, Jack Swigert and Charlie Duke.
Swigert became the Command Module Pilot in place of Ken Mattingly, who was removed from the mission after being exposed to German measles shortly before launch.

Photo: The Apollo 13 crew enjoying breakfast before their flight to the Moon on April 11, 1970.

An Apollo 13 launch cover from "CKM", featuring a variation of the mission insignia, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center with a machine cancel on April 11, 1970, signed by Fred Haise, James Lovell and Jack Swigert. This cover was originally from the collection of Clark C. McClelland. - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles

Photo: Ken Mattingly (left), who was grounded due to his exposure to German measles, joined Mission Control crew.

An Apollo 13 Insurance Cover from "NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Stamp Club" featuring the mission insignia, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center with a machine cancel on April 11, 1970, signed by the original crew: James Lovell, Ken Mattingly and Fred Haise. The letter of certification, signed by Lovell, is printed on his company letterhead. This cover was orginally from the personal collection of James Lovell.
All the Apollo 13 insurance covers were signed more than a week prior to the mission and therefore bear the signature of Ken Mattingly; he was pulled from the mission at the last minute due to his exposure to German measles and there was no time to produce a new set of insurance covers with the signature of Jack Swigert. - Heritage Auctions

An Apollo 13 launch cover from "Colorano" featuring the Apollo 13 original crew, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center with a machine cancel on April 11, 1970. Although the cover depicts the original crew, the accompanying write-up notes that Jack Swigert replaced Ken Mattingly prior to launch.

Photo: Spectators observing the launch of Apollo 13 on April 11, 1970, from a spot more than three miles away from the launch pad.

An Apollo 13 launch cover featuring the "KSC Officials" stamped cachet, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center with a hand cancel on April 11, 1970.

Photo: Fra Mauro, the intended landing site for Apollo 13.

An Apollo 13 cover from "Whitney", featuring a stamped cachet illustrating the Apollo 13 spacecraft en route to the moon, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on April 12, 1970.
Although one of the second-stage engines on the Saturn V rocket shut down early during launch, Apollo 13 appeared to be on track. Just hours after achieving Earth orbit, the crew conducted the trans-lunar injection burn using the rocket's third stage (S-IVB), directing the spacecraft toward the Moon.

On April 13, 1970, while Apollo 13 was on its way to the Moon, a cryogenic oxygen tank exploded in the service module, causing significant damage to the spacecraft. The astronauts had to take shelter in the lunar module, which they used as a lifeboat. The planned Moon landing was scrapped, and the mission was refocused on safely returning the crew to Earth. Additionally, the main antenna was damaged, forcing the crew to communicate with Houston through a smaller antenna on the lunar module.

An Apollo 13 cover from "The Manned Spaceflight Cover Society", postmarked at Houston, Texas, with a hand cancel on April 13, 1970, and the word “EXPLOSION” stamped on the cover.
Two days into the mission, following a live broadcast from space that was missed by all major television networks, mission control instructed Swigert to flip a switch for a routine stirring of the spacecraft's oxygen tanks. Just minutes later, an explosion rocked the spacecraft, leading Swigert and then Lovell to inform Earth, "Houston, we've had a problem."

An Apollo 13 cover from "Sarzin", featuring an illustration of the explosion on the spacecraft's oxygen tank, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on April 13, 1970.

Photo: On the left, an image from the laboratory at the Space Center in Houston, Texas, depicts the position of the Apollo service and command modules. On the right, a diagram illustrates the components of the service module. Damage to the Apollo 13 command module was discovered in sector 4, impacting the fuel cells above and the oxygen tanks below.

An Apollo 13 cover from "Thermograph", featuring an illustration of the crew entering into the lunar module, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on April 13, 1970.
The Apollo 13 malfunction happened when oxygen tank no. 2 in the service module exploded and ruptured, forcing the crew to take refuge in the lunar module, which acted as their lifeboat for the return to Earth.

An Apollo 13 tracking station cover from “CSIRO ANRAO”, postmarked at Parkes with a machine cancel on April 16, 1970.
The Parkes radio telescope was enlisted to assist during the Apollo 13 emergency. The staff at Parkes prepared the telescope for receiving signals from the spacecraft in under six hours. As Parkes tracked the faint radio signals from Apollo 13, ground control in Houston focused on calculating the exact trajectory needed to bring the damaged spacecraft safely home.

Photo: Astronauts at Houston keeping track of the troubled Apollo 13 spacecraft at Mission Control. With the lunar landing canceled, mission controllers worked to bring the crew home alive.

An Apollo 13 cover from "NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Stamp Club" featuring the mission insignia, postmarked at Houston, Texas, with a hand cancel on April 14, 1970, and the words "MISSION ABORTED" stamped on the cover, signed by James Lovell, Ken Mattingly, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert. - RegencyStamps

Photo: Charlie Duke served as the capsule communicator (CAPCOM) for the Apollo 13 crew.

An Apollo 13 cover from "NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Stamp Club" featuring the mission insignia cachet and a stamped "MOON LANDING MISSION ABORTED 4-14-70" cachet, postmarked at Houston, Texas with a machine cancel on April 14, 1970, signed by Charlie Duke.

An Apollo 13 cover from “SpaceCraft Swanson”, featuring an illustration of the aborted Apollo 13 mission, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on April 14, 1970.

Photo: Apollo 13 flight controller Glynn Lunney at press Conference on April 14, 1970, reports on a "super-fast" return that would propell the Apollo 13 crew home a day earlier and perhaps save their lives.

An Apollo 13 cover from “Sarzin”, featuring an illustration of how the Apollo 13 spacecraft used a circumlunar path to loop behind the far side of the Moon, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on April 14, 1970, signed by James Lovell.
A critical decision involved selecting the return path. A "direct abort" would have utilized the Service Propulsion System (SPS) in the Service Module to bring the crew back before reaching the Moon, but there was concern that the explosion may have compromised the SPS. Instead, they opted for a longer route that would swing the spacecraft around the Moon using a free-return trajectory.

An Apollo 13 cover from “Space City Cover Society”, postmarked at Houston, Texas, with a machine cancel on April 14, 1970. The cachet text noting John Swigert replacing Thomas Mattingly, and detailing the timeline of the lunar module guiding the spacecraft around the back of the Moon.

Photo: The far side of the Moon as captured by the Apollo 13 crew during their spacecraft's swing around it.

An Apollo 13 cover featuring the Lunar Module’s descent-engine burn to place the spacecraft on a free-return trajectory to Earth, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on April 14, 1970, signed by flight director Eugene Kranz, who led Mission Control’s rescue efforts.

Photo: An artist’s depiction of Apollo 13’s third stage crashing into the Moon on April 14, 1970.

After sending the astronauts out of Earth orbit toward the Moon, the Saturn V rocket's detached third stage, the S-IVB, was deliberately aimed at the Moon. Its impact was recorded by several scientific instruments left behind by the Apollo 12 mission. When the crew was informed that the S-IVB had successfully struck the Moon, James Lovell quipped, "Well, at least something worked on this flight."

An Apollo 13 cover featuring an illustration of the impact of Apollo 13's third stage on the Moon, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center with a machine cancel on April 14, 1970.

An Apollo 13 cover from “Whitney”, featuring an illustration of the impact of Apollo 13's third stage on the Moon, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on April 14, 1970.

Despite numerous challenges—including limited power, loss of cabin heat, a shortage of potable water, and the urgent need to improvise a carbon dioxide removal system—Apollo 13 safely returned to Earth on April 17, 1970. The lunar module remained attached to the spacecraft to conserve as much electrical power as possible in the command module for reentry. The reentry procedure required an extra step, involving the undocking of the lunar module along with the separation from the damaged service module.

Photo: An illustration depicting Apollo 13's midcourse correction to ensure its return to Earth. A failure in this correction would result in the crew being stranded in space.

An Apollo 13 cover from "Whitney", featuring a "MID COURSE CORRECTION" stamped cachet, postmarked at Patrick Air Force Base with a hand cancel on April 15, 1970.

Photo: On April 16, 1970, Donald K. Slayton, Director of Flight Crew Operations for the Apollo program, provided an update on the situation of the damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft.

Photo: The primary recovery ship USS Iwo Jima is heading toward the anticipated splashdown area for Apollo 13. Helicopter 66, piloted by Commander Charles Smiley, is prepared to retrieve the Apollo 13 crew.

A postcard featuring the USS Iwo Jima carrier on the front, featuring a magenta a "Morris Beck" rubber-stamped cachet on the back, postmarked aboard USS Iwo Jima with a hand cancel on April 17, 1970, signed by the commanding officer, Captain Leland Erwin Kirkemo.

An Apollo 13 recovery cover from "Ekas", postmarked aboard USS Iwo Jima with a hand cancel on April 17, 1970.

Photo: On the left, an illustration depicting the stages of separation that Apollo 13 will undergo during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. On the right, a photo captures the Apollo 13 service module drifting away after it has separated from the command module.

An Apollo 13 cover from "Whitney", featuring an illustration of the mission’s unique reentry trajectory, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on April 17, 1970.

Photo: The Apollo 13 crew captured this image of Earth, showcasing the Baja Peninsula and northern Mexico, along with the Southwestern United States. The majority of the rest of North America is shrouded in clouds.

An Apollo 13 cover featuring an illustration depicting the spacecraft’s trajectory from its final course correction to its splashdown site on Earth, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on April 17, 1970.

An Apollo 13 splashdown cover from "Orbit Covers", featuring an illustration of the mission’s re-entry and splashdown, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a hand cancel on April 17, 1970.

Photo: The Apollo 13 crew splashed down just 4 miles from the recovery ship USS Iwo Jima on April 17, 1970.

An Apollo 13 splashdown cover from "Astro Covers", featuring a photograph of the crew emerging from the capsule following their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a hand cancel on April 17, 1970.

An Apollo 13 splashdown cover from "Colorano", featuring a photograph of the crew aboard the recovery raft as they awaited pickup in the Pacific Ocean, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a hand cancel on April 17, 1970.

Photo: The Apollo 13 crew aboard the USS Iwo Jima carrier in the Pacific on April 17, 1970.

An Apollo 13 splashdown cover from "CKM", featuring a variation of the mission insignia, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center with a machine cancel on April 17, 1970, signed by Fred Haise, James Lovell and Jack Swigert. This cover was originally from the collection of Clark C. McClelland. - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles

Photo: Edgar Mitchell and Alan Shepard, crew members from the upcoming Apollo 14 mission, applaud at Mission Control in Houston, Texas, celebrating the successful splashdown and recovery of Apollo 13.

An Apollo 13 recovery cover featuring a magenta "Morris Beck" rubber-stamped cachet, postmarked aboard USS Iwo Jima with a hand cancel on April 17, 1970, signed Jack Swigert, James Lovell, Fred Haise, as well as Rear Adm. Donald C. Davis, commander of Pacific-based Task Force 130; Captain Leland Erwin Kirkemo, commanding officer of the USS Iwo Jima; and helicopter pilot Charles B. Smiley. This cover was originally from the collection of Joseph Lee Wicks. - RRAuction

Photo: A jubilant atmosphere filled Mission Control at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston on Friday as a picture of Apollo 13 flight commander James A. Lovell appeared on a television screen, celebrating the safe return of Lovell and his two crewmates aboard the USS Iwo Jima. Donald K. Slayton, director of flight crew operations, leans over a console to shake hands with one of the controllers, while another team member savors a cigar.

Photo: Lovell and Swigert examine the Apollo 13 command module, which safely brought them back to a splashdown in the Pacific.

An Apollo 13 Crew Cover (Type B) from "Morris Beck", postmarked aboard USS Iwo Jima with a hand cancel on April 17, 1970. Only 25 covers with this printed cachet without the "B" number exist.

An Apollo 13 Crew Cover (Type B) from “Morris Beck,” featuring an “ATLANTIC” cachet, postmarked aboard the USS Iwo Jima with a hand cancel on April 17, 1970. Although only 25 covers are known with this printed cachet without the “B” number, this example — sent to the USS Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean — may be unique.

Photo: Apollo 13 astronauts express their gratitude to the crew of the USS Iwo Jima before heading off to the Island of Pago Pago.

An Apollo 13 recovery cover with a printed “Morris Beck B838” cachet, postmarked aboard USS Iwo Jima with a hand cancel on April 17, 1970, signed by Governor John M. Haydon, American Samoa. This hand cancel is a variation with a skewed date.
Following their recovery, the Apollo 13 crew made a brief stop in American Samoa before flying to Hawaii.

Photo: The Apollo 13 crew participated in a ceremonial ritual conducted by Samoan natives on April 18, 1970, prior to their departure for Honolulu.

An Apollo 13 recovery cover from "Artopages", featuring a splashdown and recovery cachet created exclusively for the USS Iwo Jima, postmarked aboard USS Iwo Jima with a hand cancel on April 17, 1970, signed by helicopter pilot Charles B. Smiley, co-pilot D. G. McCarthy, and crewman Ralph G. Slider. It also includes an insert card signed by Eugene V. Rinehart, the ship’s supply officer.

An Apollo 13 recovery cover from "Artopages", featuring a splashdown and recovery cachet created exclusively for the USS Iwo Jima, postmarked aboard USS Iwo Jima with an unusual hand cancel on April 10, 1970 — one day before the Apollo 13 launch.

>An Apollo 13 recovery cover from "Artopages", featuring a "NAVY Recovery SHIP" cachet, postmarked aboard USS Iwo Jima with a hand cancel on April 17, 1970

Photo: Wernher von Braun (right), the Planning Director for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, attends a debriefing for the Apollo 13 spaceflight crew at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, on Monday. Donald K. Slayton, director of flight crew operations, converses with von Braun as the crew—James A. Lovell Jr., John L. Swigert Jr., and Fred W. Haise Jr.—listens.

Photo: During a news conference on April 22, 1970, at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, the Apollo 13 crew admired a model of their spacecraft.

(Reference from Apollo 13, Apollo 13 S-IVB Impact Site, Apollo 13 - A Successful Failure)