April 17, 1970 was the day Apollo 13 landed in the Pacific Ocean. It’s a happy ending to remember, because it reminds us of the importance of problem-solving skills and critical thinking, abilities UWW students need and employers want. It also reminds us (or it should) that success is not always an option, and some failures are successes in a way. Apollo 13 has been dubbed a “successful failure” because the astronauts came home alive and well, even though they were unable to land on the moon as planned.
There is a wealth of material on this mission, if you’d like to learn more. Search the HALCAT Harold Andersen Library catalog to find the feature film Apollo 13 (directed by Ron Howard, featuring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan, and available in Andersen Library’s 2nd-floor feature film DVDs at “call number” Apo), government documents including The Apollo 13 accident: Hearings before the Committee on Science and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-first Congress, second session, June 16, 1970 (online or in the 2nd-floor U.S. Documents collection, Y 4.Sci 2:91-2/19) and Report of Apollo 13 Review Board (online), and books such as Failure is not an option: Mission control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and beyond (3rd-floor Main Collection, TL873 .K73 2000) and Lost moon: The perilous voyage of Apollo 13–written by the Apollo 13 commander–(3rd-floor Main Collection, TL789.8.U6 A5488 1994).
Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.
