An Apollo 13 Astronaut Shares His Story - Livestream

Fred Haise was set to become the sixth person to walk on the moon. But three days into his voyage on Apollo 13, an oxygen tank exploded, instantly turning a groundbreaking mission into an unprecedented effort to bring three astronauts safely back to Earth. More than half a century later, the successful rescue remains one of NASA’s most celebrated achievements.

Haise’s new memoir, Never Panic Early: An Apollo 13 Astronaut’s Journey, reflects on that extraordinary event as part of a NASA career that spanned 20 years and included flying five space shuttle test flights before his retirement in 1979.

Join us online for an inspiring evening where you’ll hear from Haise himself. Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony, curator of the National Air and Space Museum’s Apollo spacecraft collection, will kick off the program with a brief lecture on where the Apollo program stood in April 1970. Then, in conversation with Dr. Muir-Harmony, Haise will commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 13 crisis by reflecting on cheating death - more than once! - and living through the heady early days of the space program.

After their discussion, Smithsonian magazine journalist Chris Klimek will moderate a Q&A where you can pose your own questions.