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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

40th Anniversary of Apollo 13 at Cosmosphere

Saturday was the big day the Cosmosphere has been preparing for - the 40th Anniversary of the day Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert returned to Earth from their Apollo 13 mission. The Cosmosphere hosted a reunion of 15 people involved with Apollo 13, and other astronauts who wanted to honor them.



The two surviving astronauts, Lovell (left) and Haise, peered inside Odyssesy, the Apollo 13 Command Module housed at the Cosmosphere. It was the first time Haise had seen it since he got out of it in 1970.

Earlier in the day, eight mission controllers from Apollo 13, along with pad leader Guenter Wendt and author Andrew Chaikin, participated in a panel discussion. It was amazing to hear history from those who lived it.



Left to right: Joe Kerwin, Gene Kranz, Gerry Griffin, Sy Liebergot, Andrew Chaikin, Milt Windler, Jack Lousma, Ed Fendell, Jerry Bostick and Guenter Wendt.

Saturday kicked off with a rocket launch, where the Bednarczyk family from the Kansas City area got to meet Flight Director Milt Windler. That's Dan and Collette, their son, Cole, and daughter, Piper.



Thanks to everyone who came to honor these heroes.

6 comments:

  1. We attended the 40th Anniversary weekend and just wanted to express our thanks to everyone at the Cosmosphere. What a well planned out event. Hats off to everyone for their hard work.
    The Roots Oklahoma City, OK

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  2. We're so glad you had a good time! It was great to have so many dignitaries present and to be able to share the moment with those who love the space program.

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  3. Kansans should be very proud of this fantastic Space museum & its awesome staff! The Apollo XIII event was amazing!

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  4. I attended the Apollo XIII weekend at the Cosmosphere and I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to put that event together. I enjoyed every event and I will never forget my experience! The Cosmosphere is an amazing museum that every space enthusiast must make the effort to visit. The people who work there are incredible both for their hard work and their pride in their museum. They are also the nicest people you will ever meet! Thanks so much. I hope to come back very soon.

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  5. My wife and I attended the Apollo 13 festivities this past weekend and we wanted to let the Cosmosphere know we had a great time. Please extend our thanks to all the staff and volunteers, especially from the Cargo Bay, for all their hard work and long hours. I can’t think of a better venue than the Kansas Cosmosphere to honor these true yet humble American heroes. Keep up the great work of preserving and promoting space history and exploration! It truly is the future of humanity to explore space.

    Sincerely,
    Glenn and Monica Whiteside
    Monument, CO
    Long-time Kansas Cosmosphere members

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  6. We are so glad you had a good time! It was inspiring to be around all of these hereos.

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