Question 1

True or false: The crew of Apollo 13 never actually saw the Moon up close during their mission.

Accepted Answer

False. They swung around the Moon and saw it from about 130 miles away, taking photos, but couldn't land due to the emergency.

Question 2

True or false: The Apollo 13 crew used the Lunar Module as a lifeboat for over 80 hours.

Accepted Answer

True. After the service module failed, the crew powered down the command module and lived in the lunar module, designed for two days, for nearly four days.

Question 3

True or false: The famous 'failure is not an option' phrase was coined by an astronaut during the crisis.

Accepted Answer

False. That line was said by flight director Gene Kranz, but it was actually created for the 1995 movie—he never said it in real life.

Question 4

True or false: The Apollo 13 mission was originally scheduled to land on the Moon's far side.

Accepted Answer

False. Apollo 13's target was the Fra Mauro highlands on the near side of the Moon, not the far side—that was a later mission goal.

Question 5

True or false: Apollo 13's famous 'Houston, we have a problem' was actually said as 'Houston, we've had a problem.'

Accepted Answer

True. Commander Jim Lovell originally said 'Houston, we've had a problem' after the explosion, but the movie changed it to present tense for dramatic effect.

Question 6

True or false: The astronauts had to jury-rig a carbon dioxide filter using only duct tape and a sock.

Accepted Answer

False. They used duct tape, plastic bags, and cardboard to adapt square lithium hydroxide canisters for the round openings—no sock was involved.

Question 7

True or false: Apollo 13's explosion occurred because a technician left a heater on during a preflight test.

Accepted Answer

True. A damaged electrical wire in the oxygen tank, due to a heater left on during ground testing, caused the tank to rupture in flight.

Question 8

True or false: Apollo 13's reentry was so precise that it splashed down within 4 miles of the recovery ship.

Accepted Answer

True. Despite the chaotic mission, the navigation team calculated a perfect reentry, landing just 4 miles from the USS Iwo Jima.

Apollo 13 Trivia Questions