In the Shadow of the Moon

Today on Far Future Horizons we commemorate the forty-eighth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing by presenting a retrospective of the entire Apollo program as seen through the memories of the Astronauts, scientists and engineers who made it happen.

Between 1968 and 1972, nine American spacecraft voyaged to the Moon, and 12 men walked upon its surface. They remain the only human beings to have stood on another world. IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON brings together for the first, and possibly the last time, surviving crew members from every single Apollo mission that flew to the Moon, and allows them to tell their story in their own words.

From the Earth to the Moon - "We interrupt this program"

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the eighth episode of the acclaimed twelve-part HBO television miniseries From the Earth to the Moon - - "We interrupt this program".

From the Earth to the Moon - Apollo One

We dedicate today’s Blog posting to the memories of the crew of Apollo One: Edward White, Command Pilot

Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Commander

Roger Chaffee, Pilot

Today on Far future Horizons we present the second episode of the acclaimed twelve-part HBO television miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon- Apollo One.

The second instalment of the series portrays the tragedy of the Apollo 1 fire from the perspective of its subsequent investigation by NASA and the US Congress. Its effects on key individuals are shown, including Harrison Storms of North American Aviation, Joseph Shea of NASA, astronaut Frank Borman charged with supporting NASA's investigation, and the widows of Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee.

From the Earth to the Moon - "Can We Do This?"

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the first episode of the acclaimed twelve-part HBO television miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon- Can we do this?”


“From the Earth to the Moon” is a twelve-part HBO television miniseries (1998) co-produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Tom Hanks, and Michael Bostick detailing the landmark Apollo expeditions to the Moon during the 1960s and early 1970s. Largely based on Andrew Chaikin's book, A Man on the Moon, the series is known for its accurate telling of the story of Apollo and outstanding special effects.

The Perilous Odyssey of Apollo 13

 The Latin phrase Ex Luna, Scientia means "From the Moon, Knowledge."

Today on Far Future Horizons we commemorate the forty-fifth anniversary of the launch of Apollo 13 with the documentary Apollo 13 The Real Story produced by Dateline NBC.

Apollo 13 was the third Apollo mission intended to land on the Moon, but a mid-mission oxygen tank rupture caused sufficient damage to force the lunar landing to be aborted. The flight was commanded by James A. Lovell, with John L. "Jack" Swigert command module pilot, and Fred W. Haise lunar module pilot.

The mission launched on April 11, 1970 at 13:13 CST. Two days later, en route to the Moon, a fault in the electrical system of one of the Service Module's oxygen tanks produced an overpressure rupture which caused a loss of electrical power and failure of both oxygen tanks. The Command Module remained functional on its own batteries and oxygen tank, which were only designed to support the vehicle during the last hours of flight. The crew shut down the Command Module and used the Lunar Module as a "lifeboat" during the return trip to earth. Despite great hardship caused by limited power, loss of cabin heat, shortage of potable water, and the critical need to jury-rig the carbon dioxide removal system, the crew returned safely to Earth on April 17, and the mission was termed a "successful failure". A misquotation of the radio transmission made by Swigert and repeated by Lovell ("...Houston, we've had a problem...") has become widely quoted in popular culture as "Houston, we have a problem."

"And so began the most perilous but eventually triumphant situation ever encountered in human spaceflight".