Hi, I'm Iraf Plato, and you're listening to Science Friday.

Today on the podcast, the commander of Apollo 13, astronaut Jim Lovell, and the real-life space drama that prompted the iconic Houston, we've had a problem.

That's when we got to be starting to worry about whether we would ever get home again.

We're remembering James Lovell, commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 flight. He died last week at the

age of 97. I have done thousands of interviews on this program, but some like this one really stick

with me. Back in 1995, I had the chance for a long conversation with Lovell. It was the week of the

25th anniversary of their historic nail-biting flight and the safe return to Earth. I think you'll agree

it still holds its drama

30 years later. There are certain dramatic events one remembers very vividly, you know, like

remembering where you were when you heard the news about Kennedy or King. Well, for me, Apollo 13

falls into that category, too. I'll never forget that night. I was home

in bed around 11 o'clock, 10 11 o'clock at night, glued to the radio, listening, sleepless,

to a heart-pumping drama that would play out all night. Awaiting news about the lives of three

people I had never even met before,

who were cast adrift in a lifeboat with no hope for rescue from any other ship nearby,

but with the slim possibility that if they were lucky and smart and sprung no leaks,

their lifeboat would find its way home.

But first it had to cross a huge ocean, perform in uncharted waters,

and survive a fate that no other ship before it had ever faced. It seems just like yesterday.

And the command pilot who had twice attempted to set foot on the moon and who was twice denied the

opportunity, Jim Lovell, is my guest here today.

He joins us by phone from his hotel in Costa Mesa, California. Welcome to the program.

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