Apollo 13 Flight Plan
Apollo 13 was a 1970 lunar mission that was never completed. The lunar mission became a rescue mission 56 hours after liftoff when an oxygen tank ruptured. An on-board oxygen tank exploded two days into the lunar mission, requiring the spaceship to return safely to Earth using improvised means. The original 352-page Flight Plan book for Apollo 13 was literally thrown out the window. After four anxious and fearful days, the crippled vessel returns to Earth. The three-person crew drank little, ate even less, and slept even less. On April 17, 1970, they returned home alive but 31 and a half pounds lighter. The story of Apollo 13 is perhaps best known thanks to Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton in the 1995 Academy Award-winning film.
The Apollo 13 flight plan details the journey from launch through the moment astronauts Jack Swigert, Jim Lovell, and Haise abandoned the command module in favor of the lunar lander, which they used as a lifeboat. Ken Mattingly, the original Apollo 13 command module pilot, wrote remarks in red ink on the page. After fellow astronaut Charlie Duke unintentionally exposed him to German measles days before the launch, he was pulled from the crew. Swigert took Mattingly's spot.
This historic space-flight paper sold for $275,000 at Sotheby's in 2017.
Price: $275,000
