The Apollo 13 space mission was to have been the third crewed spacecraft to land on the moon, but a ruptured oxygen tank onboard caused it to be aborted after damaging the life support and electrical systems.
Rather than being a triumphant moon landing, it became a race against time and a masterclass in crisis management to bring the three astronauts safely back to earth before their oxygen ran out.
American space agency NASA planned the seventh crewed journey into space on the Apollo programme. No one could have foreseen the near disaster that unfolded following the malfunction, nor the way everyone involved demonstrated unparalleled problem-solving skills in the workplace to save the lives of the crew.
Apollo 13 – what happened?
Two days earlier, on 11th April 1970, Apollo 13 had taken off from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida with three astronauts onboard: mission commander Jim Lovell, lunar module pilot Fred Haise and command module pilot Jack Swigert.
The Apollo programme was the brainchild of US President John F Kennedy, who had set the moon landing challenge to NASA in 1961. Apollo 11 achieved this goal, when astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins landed on the moon on 21st July 1969, followed by the successful Apollo 12 mission in November 1969.
Mission control in Houston instructed Lovell and Haise to land in lunar module Aquarius to explore the Fra Mauro region, while Swigert orbited in command model Odyssey. Disaster struck on 14th April, when the oxygen tank in the service module ruptured, taking out Odyssey’s life support and electrical systems.
Oxygen was needed not only to breathe, but also to generate electricity and emergency action was required to bring the crew safely back to earth.
Working together under pressure
NASA’s ground team and the astronauts worked together under extreme pressure, their collaborative efforts being crucial to the rescue mission. They adapted quickly to the new situation, learning crisis management lessons that turned failure into success.
In collaboration with NASA on the ground, the astronauts, stranded 330,000km and 56 hours from earth, used team communication to face new and unexpected challenges. More than 1,000 hours of training had equipped them mentally for the urgent tasks needed to keep them alive, but their new priorities were repairing onboard systems and altering course to take them back to earth.
The lunar model’s batteries were charged and the oxygen tanks full, so mission control flight director Gene Kranz suggested turning it into a “lifeboat”. Aquarius was designed for two men to use for two days, but it needed to support three astronauts for four days.
They had to create a makeshift system to remove carbon dioxide and plan a different route home without exposing the craft to hazardous conditions. It became a case of “adapt or die”, as the crew carried out the necessary works in space in collaboration with ground control.
The work being completed, Aquarius set off on the arduous journey home, the crew hampered by limited power, a wet, cold cabin and water shortages.
Their journey grabbed the public’s interest and millions of people watched live TV reports of their safe splashdown in the South Pacific Ocean on 17th April 1970.
Apollo 13 lessons learned
The incident became an example of the “adapt or die” strategy, teamwork, how to be collaborative at work and crisis management. The lessons learned are still relevant in the business world today. It shows how remote teams with clear vision and decisive leadership can work together, adapting and innovating in response to a changing situation, using creative skills.
Decisive leadership
Leadership was the key, with Gene Kranz and Jim Lovell remaining calm throughout the chaos, maintaining control in a life-or-death situation and inspiring confidence in team members.
Kranz prioritised the mission’s needs with clarity, calling for colleagues to “work the problem” together. Thanks to clear instructions and team formation, a new direction was set, and he trusted the team of experts to find the right solution.
The power of leadership with accountability, astute decision making, and clarity were demonstrated, equating in workplace terms to setting a vision, forming the best team and trusting members to do the job.
Clear and timely communication
Clear, frequent and direct communication during a crisis is crucial. One team member at mission control, capsule communicator Joe Kerwin, known as CAPCOM, relayed specific and timely information to the astronauts. He had empathy due to being an astronaut himself, so all messages were positive, proactive and relevant.
At mission control, the vast team of project managers required coordination and an open culture. During a crisis, early and frequent communication is vital to mitigate fallout and establishing a clear line of communication is crucial.
Teamwork
The Apollo 13 crisis is one of the best examples of teamwork under pressure in history. Team members worked around the clock for 87 hours on one objective: to bring the crew home.
Kranz knew his team was greater together than as individuals and instructed them to collaborate, take ownership of their specialist areas and proactively problem-solve.
The empowered teams worked together to create, test and implement new ideas, solving every problem and testing each recommendation to be certain it would work. Hundreds of people worked together to devise the solution, with a cultural determination and drive, where failure wasn’t an option.
Adaptability under pressure
After the explosion caused life-threatening damage, the system urgently needed repair work to combat the increasing CO2 level in Apollo 13. With limited equipment in space, adaptability and resourcefulness were the key.
NASA had to devise short-term solutions, approaching the task with an open mind and caution. Teams improvised, with checklists being developed over days, rather than years. When a potential solution was found, it was tested rigorously before putting it to the astronauts, who were instructed on how to use onboard materials to implement it.
Lovell described it as a “fine example of cooperation between ground and space”, demonstrating the importance of adapting to changing circumstances quickly, using resilience, organisation and innovation to reimagine a scenario.
Preparing for the unexpected
The new set of issues presented by the explosion meant the 400 hours spent preparing for the flight and its anticipated challenges had left the team adaptable.
Although a crisis is unpredictable, past learning experiences can be applied to adapted improvisation techniques, with attention to detail required to reduce the risks and achieve a reliable outcome.
Failure was never an option and this example of collaboration between NASA and the astronauts shows how innovative minds can work together and in this case save lives.
“Successful Failure”
The Apollo 13 mission was called a “successful failure” because although its original prime objective to land on the moon failed, its new goal to get the crew home safely succeeded. The conduct of the team who successfully adapted their goals is a shining example of collaboration that can be applied to modern workplace culture.
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