Apollo 13 (1995) - Quotes

Struggling to Find Rest in Uncertainty

Mary Haise: Oh boy, hope I can sleep.

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Contingency Plans Amidst Medical Concerns

Deke Slayton: [He and Dr. Chuck find Lovell observing the rocket and launch pad being transported] Jim, we've got a problem.

Dr. Chuck: I just got some blood work back from the lab. Charlie Duke has the measles.

Jim Lovell: [Unconcerned] So, we need a new backup.

Dr. Chuck: You've all been exposed to it.

Jim Lovell: Oh, I've had the measles.

Deke Slayton: Ken Mattingly hasn't.

Jim Lovell: You want to break up my crew two days before the launch; when we can predict each others moves, we can read the tone of each others voices?

Dr. Chuck: Ken Mattingly will be getting seriously ill precisely when you and Haise will be ascending from the lunar surface to rendezvous with him.

Deke Slayton: Jim, that's a lousy time for a fever.

Jim Lovell: All right, now look, Jack Swigert has been out of the loop for weeks.

Chris Kraft: He's fully qualified to fly this mission.

Jim Lovell: He's a fine pilot, but when was the last time he was in a simulator?

Chris Kraft: I'm sorry, Jim, I understand how you feel. Now we can do one of two things here. We can either scrub Mattingly and go with Swigert, or we can bump all three of you to a later mission.

Jim Lovell: I've trained for the Fra Mauro highlands, and this is flight surgeon horseshit, Deke!

Deke Slayton: Jim, if you hold out for Ken, you will not be on Apollo 13. It's your decision.

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Discussion on Apollo 13's Superstitions and Timing

Reporter 1: So, the number 13 doesn't bother you?

Fred Haise: Only if it's a Friday, Phil.

Reporter: Apollo 13, lifting of at thirteen hundred hours and thirteen minutes, and entering the moon's gravity on April 13th.

Jim Lovell: Ken Mattingly's been doing some scientific research regarding that very phenomenon, haven't you, Ken?

Ken Mattingly: Uh, yes, well, I had a black cat walk over a broken mirror under the lunar module ladder. It didn't seem to be a problem.

Fred Haise: We're also considering a letter from a fella who said we oughta take a pig up with us for good luck.

Reporter 1: Does it bother you that the public regards this flight as routine?

Jim Lovell: There's nothing routine about flying to the moon. I can vouch for that. And, uh… I think that an astronaut's last mission, his final flight, that's always going to be very special.

Reporter 2: Why is this your last, Jim?

Jim Lovell: I'm in command of the best ship with the best crew that anybody could ask for, and I'll be walking in a place where there's 400 degrees difference between sunlight and shadow. I can't imagine, uh, ever topping that.

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Lessons from Past Astronaut Tragedies

Jeffrey Lovell: [[w:Apollo 1|the fire] Dad, did you know the astronauts in ]?

Jim Lovell: [[w:Gus Grissom|All; [w:Ed White (astronaut)|of; [w:Roger B. Chaffee|them] Yeah, I knew the astronauts in the fire. ] ] ].

Jeffrey Lovell: Could that happen again?

Jim Lovell: Well, I'll tell you something about that fire. A lot of things went wrong. The, uh, the door, it's called the hatch. They couldn't get it open when they needed to get out, that was one thing. And, uh... well, a lot of things went wrong in that fire.

Jeffrey Lovell: Did they fix it?

Jim Lovell: Oh, yes, absolutely. We fixed it. It's not a problem anymore.

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Family Disagreement Over Outfit Choice

Jim Lovell: Hey! Anybody home?

Barbara Lovell: [wearing a hippy costume] I'm not being a cheerleader, Mom! You don't understand, I worked so hard on this!

Marilyn Lovell: Barbara, maybe I don't understand, but you're not wearing that out in this neighborhood. That's the end of it!

Susan Lovell: She's not even wearing a bra! You can see everything–

Barbara Lovell: Shut up!

Marilyn Lovell: Susan!

Jim Lovell: [Shows up] Hi.

Marilyn Lovell: [Surprised] Jim.

Jim Lovell: Hon, trick-or-treat. Remember those Easter vacation trips we had planned for Acapulco?

Marilyn Lovell: Uh oh.

Jim Lovell: Well, I was thinking there might be a slight change in destination.

Marilyn Lovell: Really?

Jim Lovell: Maybe, say...the moon.

Jim Lovell: Al Shepard's ear infection has flared up. We've all been bumped up to the prime crew of Apollo 13. Straight to the front line, to the Fra Mauro highlands.

Marilyn Lovell: Six months? You're moving up six months?

Barbara Lovell: [Shows Jim her costume] Dad, can I please wear this?

Jim Lovell: ...Sure.

Marilyn Lovell: Jim.

Jim Lovell: [Promptly] No! No, absolutely not.

Barbara Lovell: [Closes her bedroom door] This stinks!

Marilyn Lovell: They're not rushing things, are they? I mean, are you going to be ready in six months?

Jim Lovell: We'll be ready. Oh, but I wouldn't wanna be around Al Shepard tonight. I gotta get over there, we gotta get up to speed on this.

Marilyn Lovell: Go, go.

Jim Lovell: I'm gonna walk on the moon, Marilyn.

Marilyn Lovell: I know, I can't believe it. Naturally, it's 13. Why 13?

Jim Lovell: It comes after 12, hon.

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The Value of Teamwork in Space Exploration

Jim Lovell: The astronaut is only the most visible member of a very large team, and all of us, right down to the guys sweeping the floor are honored to be a part of it. What did the man say? "Give me a lever long enough and I'll move the world." Well that's exactly what we're doing here. This is divine inspiration, folks. It's the best part of each one of us that anything is possible. Things like a computer that can fit into a single room and hold millions of pieces of information, or the Saturn V rocket. Now, this is the actual launch vehicle that will be taking Alan Shepard and his crew on the first leg of the Apollo 13 mission.

Congressman: When are you going up again, Jim?

Jim Lovell: I'm slated to be the commander of Apollo 14 sometime late next year.

Congressman: If there is an Apollo 14. Now, Jim, people in my state are asking why we're continuing to fund this program now that we've beaten the Russians to the moon.

Jim Lovell: [[w:Christopher Columbus|Christopher Columbus] Well, imagine if ] came back from the New World, and no one returned in his footsteps.

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Celebrating with Champagne and Future Plans

Marilyn Lovell: You're drunk, Lovell.

Jim Lovell: Yup, I'm not used to the champagne.

Marilyn Lovell: [Picks at some random glasses and dishes on the patio table, then drops the trash bag she's holding] Me neither. I can't deal with cleaning up. Let's sell the house.

Jim Lovell: [Still looking at the moon] Alright, we'll sell the house. They're back inside now, looking up at us. Isn't that something?

Marilyn Lovell: [Settles into a lawn chair] I'll bet Jenny Armstrong doesn't get a wink of sleep tonight. When you were on the far side on 8, I didn't sleep at all. I just vacuumed over and over again.

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Desire for Exploration Amidst Adversity

Fred Haise: [passing over the moon after the lost landing] Got to tell you, I had an itch to take this baby down though. Do some prospecting. Damn, we were close.

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Impending Power Loss in Space Mission

Fred Haise: We're not gonna have power much longer...the ship's bleeding to death.

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Unexpected Hunger in Space Mission

Fred Haise: I could eat the ass off a dead rhinoceros.

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Clarifying a Misunderstanding About Measles

Ken Mattingly: Look, I don't have the measles. I'm not gonna get the measles.

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Concerns About Medical Testing in Space Mission

Ken Mattingly: [after finding out he's being grounded by exposure to the measles] Medical guys. I had a feeling once they started doing all the blood tests... I know it's their ass if I get sick up there, but I mean, Jesus!

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Demand for Immediate Action in Crisis

Gene Kranz: [to Deke and other simulation operators] GODDAMMIT! I don't want another estimates. I want the procedures, NOW!

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Commitment to Success in Space Missions

Gene Kranz: I want this mark all the way back to Earth with time to spare. We've never lost an American in space, we're sure as hell not gonna lose one on my watch. Failure is not an option!

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Focus on Potential Over Design

Gene Kranz: I don't care what anything was designed to do. I care about what it can do.

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Lunar Module Transforms into Emergency Lifeboat

Gene Kranz: The Lunar Module just became a lifeboat.

Focus on Problem-Solving, Avoid Guesswork

Gene Kranz: Let's work the problem, people. Let's not make things any worse by guessing.

Questioning the Nature of Government Operations

Gene Kranz: Tell me this is not a government operation.

Instrumentation Concerns in Space Missions

Gene Kranz: EECOM, GNC, these guys are talking about bangs and shimmies up there; doesn't sound like instrumentation to me.

Mission to the Moon Begins

Gene Kranz: OK, guys, we're going to the moon.

Humorous Comparison of a Challenging Task

Jack Swigert: [While flipping an electric switch on a panel full of condensation] It's like trying to drive a toaster through a car wash.

The Awe of Lunar Exploration

Jack Swigert: [on TV] When you go into the shadow of the moon and and the moon is between you and the sun, you see stars that are more brilliant than anything you've ever seen on the clearest nights here on Earth. And then you pass into the lunar sunrise over the lunar surface. It must be an awe-inspiring sight. I can't wait to see it myself.

Farewell Earth, Until We Meet Again

Jack Swigert: [As Apollo 13 goes to behind the moon, breaking off communication with Houston] So long, Earth. Catch you on the flip side.

Critical Power Situation in Space Mission

Jack Swigert: If this doesn't work, we're not gonna have enough power left to get home.

Reflections on Apollo 13's Unexpected Journey

Jim Lovell: [narrating; [w:Apollo 16|Apollo 16] Our mission was called "a successful failure," in that we returned safely but never made it to the moon. In the following months, it was determined that a damaged coil built inside the oxygen tank sparked during our cryo stir and caused the explosion that crippled the Odyssey. It was a minor defect that occurred two years before I was even named the flight's commander. Fred Haise was going back to the moon on Apollo 18, but his mission was canceled because of budget cuts; he never flew in space again. Nor did Jack Swigert, who left the astronaut corps and was elected to Congress from the state of Colorado. But he died of cancer before he was able to take office. Ken Mattingly orbited the moon as Command Module Pilot of ], and flew the Space Shuttle, having never gotten the measles. Gene Kranz retired as Director of Flight Operations just not long ago. And many other members of Mission Control have gone on to other things, but some are still there. As for me, the seven extraordinary days of Apollo 13 were my last in space. I watched other men walk on the moon, and return safely, all from the confines of Mission Control and our house in Houston. I sometimes catch myself looking up at the moon, remembering the changes of fortune in our long voyage, thinking of the thousands of people who worked to bring the three of us home. I look up at the moon and wonder, when will we be going back, and who will that be?

Communication with Mission Control

Jim Lovell: Hello, Houston, this is Odyssey. It's good to see you again.

A Privilege to Fly Together

Jim Lovell: Gentlemen, it's been a privilege flying with you.

Venting Oxygen into Space During Apollo 13

Jim Lovell: Houston, we are venting something out into space. I can see it outside window 1 right now. It's definitely, uh, a gas of some sort. It's got to be the oxygen.

Facing the Unknown in Space Exploration

Jim Lovell: [[w:AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes|American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations] * Note: ranked #50 in the ] in American cinema.

Mission Control Faces Unexpected Challenge

Jim Lovell: Houston, we have a problem.

The Decision to Walk on the Moon

Jim Lovell: [[w:Apollo 8|Apollo 8] From now on, we live in a world where man has walked on the moon. And it's not a miracle, we just decided to go. On ], we were so close. Just 60 nautical miles down, and it was as if I could just step out, and walk on the face of it.