Q 01/05

In which year did Apollo 13 fly?

A) 1970

B) 1968

C) 1969

D) 1972

Answer · why

A) 1970

It launched on April 11 and splashed down on April 17, and it would have been the third Moon landing.

Q 02/05

Before commanding this flight, Jim Lovell flew on which mission, the first to orbit the Moon?

A) Gemini 7

B) Gemini 12

C) Apollo 8

D) Apollo 10

Answer · why

C) Apollo 8

At 42 he was NASA's most experienced astronaut, with 572 hours in space over Gemini 7, Gemini 12 and Apollo 8.

Q 03/05

What exploded aboard Apollo 13 two days into the flight?

A) A fuel cell in the service module

B) An oxygen tank in the service module

C) The lunar module's descent engine

D) A battery pack in the command module

Answer · why

B) An oxygen tank in the service module

A routine stir of the tank ignited damaged wire insulation, and the blast vented both of the service module's oxygen tanks to space.

Q 04/05

Which spacecraft did the Apollo 13 crew use as a 'lifeboat' after the explosion?

A) The service module

B) The Saturn V third stage

C) The launch escape tower

D) The lunar module

Answer · why

D) The lunar module

It was designed to keep two men alive on the Moon for two days; Houston improvised ways to make it support three men for four.

Q 05/05

Who played Jim Lovell in the 1995 film Apollo 13?

A) Kevin Costner

B) Kevin Bacon

C) Tom Hanks

D) Bill Paxton

Answer · why

C) Tom Hanks

The script was written with Kevin Costner in mind because he looked like Lovell, but Hanks won the part for his knowledge of space history.