Apollo 13 astronaut tells of ill-fated mission
Astronaut Fred Haise of Houston, Texas, delivered a first-hand account of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission and his career in aeronautics during an appearance at Chadron State College's Memorial Hall on Tuesday.
Haise, 75, spoke to a crowd of about 300 for 1½ hours, more than half of which was answering questions from inquisitive audience members.
During Tuesday's presentation, Haise narrated 16 mm footage that he captured aboard the Apollo 13 mission of 1970. The story of the crew's incredible hardships became familiarized to many in the audience by the 1995 blockbuster movie directed by Ron Howard, "Apollo 13." Bill Paxton played the role of Haise in the movie.
Haise said it was terribly disappointing to learn of the mission's crippling oxygen tank explosion, especially since two prior crews had completed successful missions to the moon.
"Right there, I had a sick feeling in my stomach," he said. "I knew we lost the mission. I knew we weren't going to land."
He said the only other time he's had a similar feeling was upon accidentally slamming his son's hand in a car door years earlier.
Haise also spoke briefly about scores of aircraft he has flown through the years, and showed images of his airplane crash that resulted in second- and third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body.
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