REMEMBERING APOLLO 13:

A group of engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center came up with a unique design using plastic bags, cardboard and duct tape 35 years ago to save the three astronauts aboard Apollo 13.

Sunday marked the 35th anniversary of the spacecraft’s return to Earth. It was crippled by an oxygen tank that overheated and exploded, causing concern the carbon dioxide the astronauts expelled from their lungs would eventually kill them. Two of Apollo’s three fuel cells, a primary source of power, also were lost.

The engineers’ work to save astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert is to be recognized Tuesday by a company that runs an engineering search engine. Engineers, astronauts and flight controllers are expected for the ceremony at the space center.

Ron Howard’s film is absolutely superb, and I wish we saw more movies with engineers as heroes.

UPDATE: Reader Jim Coates: “Yes, I agree. And the IMAX version in the anniversary release is fantastic played on on wide screen HDTV. Check it out.”

I put off buying the TV I blogged about a couple of months ago, but I think I’m going to take the plunge shortly. When I do, I’ll take that advice.

UPDATE: Much more on Apollo 13 here: “Rather than hurried improvisation, saving the crew of Apollo 13 took years of preparation.” A fascinating read, from IEEE Spectrum, in their free area.