Quiz: Successful Splashdown of Apollo 13

On the April 17 splashdown anniversary, test your Apollo 13 knowledge—from the explosion to power-down decisions, and the final steps before reentry.

The original mission of the Apollo 13 crew was to land the lunar module, Aquarius, in the Fra Mauro highlands, while the command module, Odyssey, orbited the Moon. Those plans changed when an explosion occurred on the service module.

Test your knowledge about the actions taken after the accident left three astronauts 175,000 miles and four days away from Earth. What decisions were made by a dedicated Mission Control team determined to achieve a successful splashdown on April 17, 1970?

On the April 17 splashdown anniversary, test your Apollo 13 knowledge—from the explosion to power-down decisions, and the final steps before reentry.

Date Published:

Apr 17, 2026

Image Credit:

On April 15, 1970, Deke Slayton showed the adapter using square command module lithium hydroxide canisters to remove excess carbon dioxide from the Apollo 13 lunar module cabin. Photo: NASA