Page 7 - My FlipBook

THE MISSION
The astronauts were well on their way to the moon. They
planned to land Apollo 13 in a rugged, hilly area of the moon
called Fra Mauro. Made up of ridges, hills, and valleys, the
region interested scientists because of the variety in the
landscape. Scientists hoped to gain insight into the moon’s
geological history from the rock samples the astronauts
planned to bring back to Earth.

An Unlucky Number

ome people believe the number 13 is an unlucky
Snumber. in the ancient world, the number 12 was
often considered the “perfect” number. The sumerians
developed a base-12 system that is still used for measuring
time. A day is made up of two 12-hour periods. Most
calendars have 12 months. According to this view, adding
one to the perfect number is asking for trouble. Many
high-rise buildings in the United states do not have a 13th
floor, and many hotels, hospitals, and airports avoid using
the number for rooms and gates.
so some people thought Apollo 13 was a terrible name
for a dangerous flight to the moon. They wanted to call the
mission Apollo 12B or Apollo 14. Anything but Apollo 13.
And the digits of the launch date, 4/11/70, added up to 13.
The launch was scheduled for 13:13 military time. But the
astronauts didn’t pay attention to the superstitious mumbo
jumbo. They were highly trained professionals. They relied
on science.

7 Explosion in spAcE