It was 50 years ago today that Apollo 13 launched for what has been described as the “most successful failure” of the space program. The Journey of Apollo 13 has touched my life in unusual ways.
I was a 19 years old student majoring in computer science. My two roommates, twins Marvin and Melvin West and I decided to travel from South Carolina to Cape Kennedy to witness this launch. My oldest sister and her family lived near Orlando at the time and welcomed us to come for a visit.
On the day of the launch my brother-in-law told me which road to take to Titusville, Fl. He instructed us to pull off on the side of the road where many people would be doing the same to get a good view of the launch. We arrived with the excitement of being able to witness such a grand event.
As we set on the hood of my car listening to radio broadcast of the countdown, a station wagon pulled off the road ahead of us. The driver got out, jogging toward us and when he got close asked, “Are you boys from South Carolina?”. I guess he had noticed the license plate or stickers on my car. A bit apprehensive, since I could not understand the reason behind a stranger coming up and asking such a question, I answered that yes, we were from Columbia, SC.
He then informed us that his wife was from SC and he worked for NASA. He asked if we would like to get into his car with his family and go though a security gate to get closer. YES!!!! As we arrived where employees were allowed to go he informed us that we were as close as anyone could get other than the VIP and press stands. Boy did we think we were hot stuff!
The view of the Saturn V rocket was magnificent. A white, slender tower of power ready to send our third mission of mankind to land on the moon. Loudspeakers were broadcasting from mission control on the progress toward launch. And of course everyone begin shouting the last seconds of the countdown 10, 9, 8 …
Driggers Photography
Even 50 years later I vividly remember how all my senses were affected by what came next. First there was the ignition of the most powerful engines ever made with bright red-yellow-orange flames, followed by white steam rising from the sound suppression system as the flames hit the deluge of water being pumped onto the launch pad. Next was the thundering roar of those mighty engines along with the shock wave that accompanied the sound. I remember feeling that my insides were vibrating with its power. Years later I took my oldest grandson to see a launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis. Just before launch I told him that he would first see it, then hear it, then FEEL it. Following launch he said, “Papa, you’re right, I felt that”.
I wonder if this stranger that invited us to join his family ever realized how thrilling it was, much less how this would come back to me years later. At that time of my life my hope was to get my degree in Computer Science and perhaps work for NASA one day. Of course life has a way of taking you down roads you don’t expect.
Following graduation, there was a little thing called The Vietnam War going on and I had to make a decision about dealing with the draft or enlisting. I decided to signup with the Navy. Much to my surprise something in my medical history prevented me from joining and so I started my post graduation job search. I soon landed a job with a bank in the computer department. But more importantly, about that same time, I met Carol.
Our marriage led to more surprises and life changes. It was the birth of our first child, a daughter that got me interested in photography. By the time our son was born three years later, we had a thriving part time business while my career at the bank continued to grow.
It wasn’t long before we made the move to opening a full time photography studio and left our previous careers behind. As we became better known in our community, we became involved with a charitable organization that brought in famous people for fund raising and speaking engagements. We became the official photographers for their events. Years later Alan Sheppard, first American in space and later Apollo 14, was a speaker we photographed. A few years later we were informed that James Lovell, Commander of Apollo 13 was coming for an event.
Driggers Photography
We have had the pleasure of photographing many famous people, but my life long interest in the space program put this at the top of my list. We began our photographic session and at one point Lovell asked if we had ever seen a launch. Carol later told me that I had the biggest grin on my face that she had ever seen. When I explained that as a 19 year old I witnessed the launch of Apollo 13, he responded, “Sorry to disappoint you”. I assured him that it had always been a highlight of my life and I had followed every news report until their safe return home. He shared some photographic related stories with us about their ill fated Journey as well as stories about Tom Hanks (who played him in the movie Apollo 13).
So here we sit 50 years later with the Covid19 lockdown, reminiscing about happier days and the unique Journeys that life takes us. A famous phrase of the early space program was “God Speed”. We wish our medical professionals God Speed as they look for a cure and relief from this pandemic. We may need a project similar to the Apollo program to find a cure in record time. America has shown before that when faced with an impossible task, we find a way to come through.