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Ladies and Gentlemen we are floating in space

The Checklist That Helped Save Apollo 13 Sold For $388,375

by Max Eddy | 12:22 pm, December 3rd, 2011

The events surrounding the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission are fairly well known: While en-route to the moon, an explosion crippled the command module leading to a tense 4-day journey back to Earth. While the world watched, mission commander James Lovell was frantically scribbling on this Lunar Module Systems Activation Checklist Book just two hours after the explosion. It was sold this week at auction to an anonymous collector by Heritage Auctions to the tune of $388,375. Of course, to Lovell and the rest of his crew, this slim book was surely priceless.

With life support failing in the command module crippled, it was decided that the crew should shelter inside the lunar lander. This book was the series of operations to not only bring the lander online, but transfer the invaluable location information from the command module computers. Without the data, the astronauts would have been flying blind.

Lovell’s own words describe the significance of the document on the attached blue note. From World of Mysteries:

This pub[lication] was utilized to transfer CSM guidance data to LM guidance system so the spacecraft data of our attitude with respect to the celestial sphere would not be lost. Note the time these calculations were made GET 58 08 06 about two hours after the explosion. James Lovell.

(CS Monitor, World of Mysteries via BuzzFeed)

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  • http://www.facebook.com/cultofpunkonality Drew Douglas

    It belongs in a museum.

  • Phil

    $388,375.00 for this?  Ha, Ha. On page 7 (counting down from the very top) is the instruction ‘close and secure hatch’.  Captains in Submarines know to secure the hatch of the sub (I doubt they read a checklist), and commander of  Apollo 13 has to be prompted to close the hatch of a space ship?

  • Max Eddy

    You’re right, Indy!

  • Nick

    I’ll bet they do. I’ve been a Navy flight line mechanic for several years, and I’ve sat “right seat” many many times. My job was to read the safety checklist. Number 1 is “Main and overwing hatches secure” 

  • http://www.facebook.com/stan.greenspan Stan Greenspan

    Pilots get very busy and checklists save our butts more times than anyone can know. First and foremost, the checklist is to make sure that you have completed an action and to check that the condition is as specified. Nobody needs to tell you to lock the door, but any pilot will tell you that while it might look locked, giving it that check to make sure it is actually locked and sealed is vital.
    Yes, closing a hatch is an obvious thing to do, but when you have several hundred other items to complete, you can’t assume anything, because you will have missed something and the checklist will put you back on track to get everything completed and correct.

  • Phil_is_a_dumbass

    Dear Phil…he read a checklist as he was piloting his LUNAR MODULE TO THE FUCKING MOON.  What’s your claim to fame besides a moronic comment?

  • Bob

    @Phil What are you trying to say?

  • Deraild

    Trust that someone has closed the hatch without double checking and you all could die. Use the check list it is there for safety….

  • Randy schman

    I think Phil is right. NASA picks dumb astronauts probably. I vote Phil flys the space rockets next time

  • Dennis Reilly

    I think the main reason for the details would be to leave nothing to chance.


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