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Author
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Topic: Apollo 13 mission plaque on Aquarius
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Explorer1
Member Posts: 180
From: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Registered: Apr 2019
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posted 03-27-2020 06:03 AM
  
When Jack Swigert replaced Ken Mattingly on Apollo 13, was there any effort made to get a new mission plaque made with Swigert's name on it and attached to the leg of the lunar module? |
Mike Dixon
Member Posts: 1428
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003
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posted 03-27-2020 06:23 AM
Yes. Jim Lovell carried the replacement plaque with him in the command module. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-27-2020 09:39 AM
Here are the plaques (credit: NASA/Wikipedia). (On edit: See reply below for correction about the Swigert plaque.)There wasn't time to remove the Mattingly plaque before launch, so as Mike mentions, the Swigert plaque was stowed aboard the command module. Had the mission gone as planned, it would have been transferred to the lunar module and then Lovell and Haise would have made the swap while on the lunar surface. Instead, the Swigert plaque was returned to Earth, became part of Lovell's collection and was subsequently donated to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago in 2005, where it remains on display today.  
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Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4208
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 03-27-2020 02:32 PM
Robert, do you think the intention was to somehow clip the replacement plaque or wedge it on top of the original? While there are mounting holes in each of the attachment points it would have been pretty fiddly replacing the plaques more permanently in a pressurised glove. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-27-2020 04:48 PM
I suspect Jack Kinzler probably worked out a simple solution. He was very good with flags, plaques, golf-clubs and parasols. (And I hope that doesn't sound flippant — Kinzler was an engineering wizard). |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-28-2020 12:32 PM
I made a mistake above; the photo of the Swigert plaque (credit Wikipedia) is of a replica. The flown plaque was mounted with other mission artifacts before being presented to Lovell, as it is displayed at the Adler (photo credit cS member sev8n).As the Adler notes, the plaque would have been used to cover the Mattingly plaque, not replace it.  |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-28-2020 09:58 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
As the Adler notes, the plaque would have been used to cover the Mattingly plaque, not replace it.
...which probably brings us back to Jack Kinzler.If Apollo 13 had gone according to plan, some future astronaut might have been heard to say: "Hey, Houston! There's ANOTHER plaque below this one, with a different name! What the...!" |
Space Cadet Carl
Member Posts: 225
From: Lake Orion, Michigan
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 03-29-2020 01:47 PM
Jim Lovell's LEVA helmet cover is also at Adler, with the blue U.S. Navy decal stuck on it. Not sure if anyone else customized their LEVA. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-29-2020 07:44 PM
For discussion about the LEVA, see: Apollo 13: Lovell's spacesuit markings. And we have a topic dedicated to the artifacts on display at the Adler, as well. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 04-02-2020 11:39 AM
A NASA article dated today really got it wrong about the Apollo 13 plaque:
Engineers at the launch pad had one more unplanned and somewhat complicated task to accomplish. The plaque that they had affixed to the LM's landing strut to commemorate the Apollo 13 lunar landing bore Mattingly's signature. With Swigert taking his place, workers quickly manufactured a new plaque with the new CMP's signature and flew it to KSC. Engineers working in very tight quarters inside the Spacecraft LM Adaptor placed the new plaque over the old one within a day of launch. |
perineau
Member Posts: 244
From: FRANCE
Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 04-02-2020 11:40 AM
The above is one reason why NASA should be subscribed to collectSPACE! |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-02-2020 11:53 AM
I alerted the author of the NASA article to the error and a correction will soon be posted.Update: The correction has been made. John Uri, the article's author, extended his gratitude for pointing out the error. The edited text now reads: Engineers had one more unplanned task to accomplish. The plaque that they had affixed to the LM's landing strut to commemorate the Apollo 13 lunar landing bore Mattingly's signature. With Swigert taking his place, workers quickly manufactured a new plaque with the new CMP's signature and flew it to KSC, stowing it inside the CM. Lovell and Haise planned to transfer it to the LM and attach the revised plaque to the landing strut once on the lunar surface. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 04-02-2020 01:48 PM
I enjoy the "50 Years Ago" series of articles and photos. An occasional error here and there doesn't detract from that. |
Ronpur
Member Posts: 1220
From: Brandon, Fl
Registered: May 2012
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posted 04-02-2020 09:05 PM
I have always wondered why they didn't change it out on the pad. They added a flag at the last minute for Apollo 11. Was it as simple as the access platforms had already been removed? |
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