Archive for April 13th, 2011

THE ‘’SUCCESSFUL FAILURE’’ ON THIS DATE IN 1970

apollo-13-patch 
apollo 13 crew

Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the U.S. Apollo space program
and the third intended to land on the Moon. The craft was successfully launched
toward the Moon on Saturday, April 11, 1970, but the landing had to be aborted
two days later on the 13th after an oxygen tank ruptured, severely damaging the spacecraft’s electrical system. The flight was commanded by James A. Lovel
(above right) with John ‘Jack’ Swigert (center) as Command Module pilot and
Fred W. Haise (left) as Lunar Module pilot. Swigert was a late replacement for 
the original CM pilot Ken Mattingly, who was grounded by the flight surgeon
after exposure to German Measles. To conserve its batteries and the oxygen
needed for the last hours of flight, the crew instead used the Lunar Module’s
resources during the return trip to Earth. Despite great hardship caused by
limited power,loss of cabin heat, shortage of suitable water and the critical
need to jury-rig the carbon dioxide removal system, the crew returned safely
to Earth on Friday, April 17. NASA called the mission a "successful failure”.

apollo 13 damaged service module
View of the severely damaged Service Module after separation

apollo 13 splashcown
Apollo 13 Splashdown

 

after splashdown

Apollo 13 crew arrive on the prime recovery ship U.S.S. Iwo Jima after a
successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Ken_Mattingly_face
Ken Mattingly

posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,HISTORY,Science,SPACE and have No Comments

BILLBOARD HOT 100 ~ #1 ON THIS DATE IN 1959

best of the fleetwoods

        Fleetwoods_-_Come_Softly_To_Me

posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,HISTORY,MAGAZINES,MUSIC and have No Comments

TONY DOW BECAME 66 TODAY

leave_it_to_beaver_wally_cleaver
Tony_Dow_Current_Headshot_Medium

Tony Lee Dow is a former television child actor of the 1950s and 1960s, who
is now a film producer and director. Dow is best known for his role in the CBS-
TV sitcom Leave it to Beaver, which ran from 1957 to 1963. Dow played "Wallace
‘Wally’ Cleaver" the older son of "June" (Barbara Billingsley) and "Ward Clever"
(Hugh Beaumont) and the brother of "Theodore ‘Beaver’ Cleaver” (Jerry Mathers,
seen below).

Leave-It-To-Beaver title

beaver and dow
Tony Dow, right, with Jerry Mathers

Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont
Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont

posted by Bob Karm in BIRTHDAY,THEN AND NOW,TV and have No Comments