Video: 'As it Happened - Apollo 13 "Houston We've Had A Problem"' (explosion occurs at 2:56)

(Monday, April 13, 1970, 10:08 p.m. EST/03:08 UTC on Apr. 14) — An oxygen tank in the command module (CM) of Apollo 13, speeding towards the Moon for man’s third attempt to walk on another world, exploded tonight.

Nine minutes after the crew had finished a 40-minute live broadcast to television viewers, astronaut Fred Haise began alerting with the words “Okay, Houston…” and Jim Lovell followed with “I believe we’ve had a problem here.”

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When ground control asked him to repeat the statement, Lovell said, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.”

Accidental ignition of damaged wire insulation inside the oxygen tank as it was being routinely stirred had caused the explosion that vented the tank’s contents.

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Without oxygen, needed both for breathing and for generating electric power, the service module’s propulsion and life support systems could not operate.

The CM’s systems had to be shut down to conserve its remaining resources for reentry, forcing the crew to transfer to the lunar module (LM) as a lifeboat.

Video: 'Apollo 13: Houston, We've Got a Problem'

With the lunar landing canceled, mission controllers worked to bring the crew home alive.