NASA Reproduces What Apollo 13 Crew Saw On The Moon Before Explosion In 4K
Video screenshot via NASA Goddard
A year after Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon in 1969, NASA activated its astronauts to land on the lunar surface via the Apollo 13 spacecraft. Unfortunately, that expedition was cut short when an oxygen tank exploded, forcing the crew to return to Earth without landing.
50 years on, the space agency has recreated the encounter using data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. The replicated footage imagines the majestic views that the astronauts saw during the fateful mission in 4K resolution.
The journey has been sped up for viewing purposes, and depicts earthset, sunrise, and the dark side of the Moon. It also refreshes the orbit that the astronauts made around the Moon before returning home, as well as the time Apollo 13 was able to reconnect with Mission Control via radio contact.
As beautiful as the views are, the footage doesn’t capture the perilous nature of the trip, when the astronauts suffered from hunger, dehydration, and toiling temperatures.
[via CNET, video and cover image via NASA Goddard]
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