Preview

Decision Making In Apollo 13

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1074 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Decision Making In Apollo 13
The movie Apollo 13 stared, Tom Hanks (Jim Lovell) Bill Paxton (Fred Haise), Gary Sinise (Ken Mattingly) and Kevin Bacon (Jack Sivigert) . The movie was directed by Ron Howard and is based on the book “Lost Moon” by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger. This was America third trip to the moon and Apollo 13 mission was to land in the Fra Mauro area of the moon. Two day before launch Mattingly was scrubbed from the mission after being exposed to measles. He was replaced by Jack Swigert (kevin Bacon) who only had two days of preparation. Two days into the mission on April 13 Jack Swigert received an order to stir the oxygen tanks. One of the tanks exploded which caused damage to the fuel cells and the heat shield. This damage made a moon landing impossible and the return trip home a challenge and daunting task. With the astronauts’ lives hanging in the balance, mission control evaluated all the choices available to them and made a decision that brought the crew safely home. There are several kinds of decision making models, among them are rational model, Bounded Rationality, …show more content…
If the real problem was not identify then all the steps in the decision making process would have been based on an incorrect starting point. When the No. 2 oxygen tank blew up causing the No. 1 tank to fail also; Jack Swigert also notice a warning light that accompanied the bang, Huston was notify that there was a problem. Lovell “Huston we have a problem.” With the main B bus under volt damage, also the loss of three fuel cells, which was Apollo 13 prime source of electricity and the second oxygen rapidly depleting, with final evidence as Lovell looked out the window and said “we are venting something out into space I can see it outside of window one right now, definitely a gas of some sought, got to be the oxygen”, they all knew that they had a potential catastrophe at
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Apollo 13 - Paper 5
    • 2683 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Apollo 13 - Paper 5

    The third critical event occurs as the astronauts are performing routine maintenance onboard the spacecraft. Swigert is commanded by Mission Control to ¡°stir the oxygen tanks,¡± which causes an explosion resulting in a loss of oxygen supply to the astronauts. This incident changes the progress of the…

    • 2683 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Apollo 13 Essay
    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Apollo 13 Essay

    The actual launch of the Apollo 13 was on April 11, 1970. Two days into the mission it looked like the smoothest flight that the Apollo program had ever seen. "The spacecraft is in real good shape as far as we are concerned. We're bored to tears down here." said Joe Kerwin of mission control (3). At 55 hours the crew held a TV broadcast for 49 minutes where they showed off their living conditions and how they worked in weightless situations. Nine minutes after the broadcast mission control instructed that Odyssey to give their oxygen tanks a stir and moments later oxygen tank No.2 in the service module exploded, due to an exposed fan wire. The eruption then damaged oxygen tank No.1, causing them to start to lose oxygen rapidly. The cover of…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Apollo 13 Failure
    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Apollo 13 Failure

    Apollo 13 was an ordinary launch, but disaster was near. Things weren't even going well pre-launch, as one of the crew members had contracted german measles, so he was left behind and replaced. They launched, and everything seemed to being going smoothly. The astronauts held a 49 minute TV broadcast, but 9 minutes later, an explosion shook the craft. Oxygen tank two blew up, causing number one to fail. They say gas venting out of the side of the ship. Also, ⅔ of the power cells had failed, so everything noncritical was turned off. Because of the failures, they had to conserve water and watch carbon monoxide levels. There wasn't enough power to purify water, so it was estimated to run out 5 hours until earth re-entry. Carbon Monoxide was also a problem, as the filters were broken and the extra ones from the lander were not compatible with the cockpit. They fashioned an adapter with tape, cardboard and plastic bags. Eventually, they made it home safely. Apollo 13 was a disaster, but thanks to clever people at mission control and an atent crew, everyone made it home…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Apollo 13 Assignment
    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Apollo 13 Assignment

    The Apollo 13 malfunction was caused by an explosion and rupture of oxygen tank no. 2 in the service module. The explosion ruptured a line or damaged a valve in the no. 1 oxygen tank, causing it to lose oxygen rapidly.…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Apollo 13: Was Apollo 13 A Success?
    • 210 Words
    • 1 Page

    Apollo 13: Was Apollo 13 A Success?

    Have you ever heard of Apollo 13?, it was a big thing back in 1970. Apollo 13 was a space craft that had exploded, but the people in the space craft survived because it only got half of their ship. But they kept getting more and more problems. But my claim is that it was a success.…

    • 210 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Apollo 13: Spacecraft
    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Apollo 13: Spacecraft

    When Gene Kranz says that it will be there finest hour, he was completely true. It will be the finest hour for the Apollo 13 mission. They “won” while failing, because a malfunction which NASA had little to no control over which looked life threatening hit the astronauts and NASA managed to overcome the problem they had been faced with. The Apollo 13 mission in general was a failure because it stood no chance of accomplishing the goal it was supposed to. The teamwork that NASA developed during the Apollo 13 mission was astounding as everyone worked together to save those three people’s lives. The people were given the materials the astronauts had and worked to make a functioning device that could help funnel the power into the pod the astronauts were in to save their life. The biggest part teamwork played in the movie was the sudden change in crew. The crew had little time to adjust to their newly appointed pilot and they had to quickly adapt to the change in crew. The men not being as familiar to the new crewmate spent a lot of time in isolation with their newly appointed pilot and interacted well with the rookie who was a little shaky on the whole flying scheme. Apollo 13 can be considered the finest hour because it took a situation that looked very grim and had the odds working against them for every turn they took. NASA handled the pressure pretty well and they put everyone on the ground in the same situation that the astronauts so that instead of it seeming like there were only three astronauts to figure a way back to earth it was almost as if there were forty astronauts in space working to get back to earth. The greatest part of the mission was the skepticism that almost broke the mission from within. The pilot who was originally supposed to fly the mission thought it was impossible for the spacecraft to return back to earth with the power they had but he, while collaborating with the other members of NASA made it possible to return back into the…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Apollo 13 Historical Accuracy
    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Apollo 13 Historical Accuracy

    Apollo 13 was overall a very accurate movie, scientifically and factually. Of course there were things changed in order to advance the story and make the movie more interesting, but most of these things were very small. Apollo 13 was an Apollo mission that came after the first landing on the moon. The problem was that since the United States had already beaten Russia to the moon people weren’t sure why they needed to go back, so there were less resources and money going into this mission.…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Apollo 13 Case Study
    • 182 Words
    • 1 Page

    Apollo 13 Case Study

    Thanks for the questions, first I believe the insulation was to blame in this case it failed. The combustible material, which I believe you are referring to the amount of oxygen in the air worked the way it was designed to. I agree with you that if the system is flexible enough to add additional weight for additional insulation then add it. I see your point with communication being a factor in the Apollo 13 incident. I would have to agree with the rational that you provided that it did attribute to the issue. I believe I was looking at this differently initially but I agree with you it is more communication than design. Thanks for your perspective on that. In the case of the independent body, I do look at it as something similar…

    • 182 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Leadership in the Movie Apollo 13
    • 1149 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Leadership in the Movie Apollo 13

    The film, Apollo 13, is based on the real-life crisis that occurred April 13, 1970 on board the Apollo spacecraft. The two main characters, Gene Kranz (Ed Harris) and Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) are the key players who will address how a leader is able to survive and thrive in a world in which unexpected events occur on a regular basis. They portray the effective styles of leadership in balance with their ever changing surroundings, as well as their ability to maintain their interpersonal relationships with a group under unfavorable conditions. This film is a powerful movie because it makes clear to the viewer just how often disruptions and discontinuities occur. Also, it is an excellent example of how leaders must be able to meet the challenges posed by unexpected, chance events. The characters Jim Lovell and Gene Kranz are the leaders who are able to meet those challenges.…

    • 1149 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Apollo 13
    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Apollo 13

    The movie Apollo 13 is a true story about a failure of a space mission to the moon. Before they end up getting to the moon, something goes wrong with the rocket ship. The quote “We just put Sir Isaac Newton in the driver’s seat” from the movie Apollo 13 is figure of speech.…

    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Critical Essay Intro to Apollo 13
    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Critical Essay Intro to Apollo 13

    At some point in our youth, every child has entertained the idea of walking the surface of a planet only graced by the footsteps of a handful of select individuals. Jack Swigert, Fred Haise, and Jim Lovell train for this moment in the NASA program, but alas Apollo 13 is the first aborted Apollo mission. There are scarcely words that can describe the disappointment of these three men, but at the time, that was only a minor adversity during their space mission. The malfunctions of the lunar module Aquarius not only surprise Houston, but it leads the crew to experience many close encounters with death. In Apollo 13, director Ron Howard shows that in times of desperation, people must contribute their resourcefulness in a team effort in order to prevail over adversity. In other words, the cooperation of determined individuals can overcome many obstacles. These instances are witnessed onboard the Aquarius and within the NASA command center as both land and space crews work cohesively to conquer doubt and bring the 3 astronauts back to Earth. Many times during the mission, the 3 astronauts are unable to navigate through space and NASA headquarters reacts by assembling a team of able-bodied scientists and engineers to devise a solution. In addition, Lovell, Swigert and Haise struggle with further mishaps and quarrels in space, so gradually, they adjust to life on board the lunar module and work together to stabilize conditions and learn to prioritize their survival over their differences. Finally, despite being decommissioned from Apollo 13, Ken Mattingly more than willingly joins the NASA team in working out a re-entry path and plan for the astronauts. The abilities of all these individuals to dedicate themselves towards a worthy cause are what brought three great men…

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Apollo 13
    • 1334 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Apollo 13

    The movie Apollo 13 follows the monomyth plotline accurately. The first major obstacle the Apollo 13 crew encounters was when Nasa was rushing the mission. The first reason this obstacle complicates the plot of the movie is that the crew was not prepared. The space crew Jack Swigert, Fred Haise and Jim Lovell were not prepared to go up into space and especially not Jack. Jack was not supposed to go up into space. Ken Mattingly was originally the one going with the other two astronauts, Jim and Fred, but he had the measles virus in his blood stream so he could not go. Jack Swigert was the one that took his place but Jack only had one day to prepare so out of the three astronauts Jack was the least prepared astronaut going up into space. The second reason this obstacle complicates the plot of the movie is that the crew was not prepared. The crew could have spent more time checking over the space craft odyssey better and could have done diagnostic testing and analyses to make sure the space craft odyssey was fully ready to go up into space but they rushed the mission too much and ran into problems. They should have spent a few extra day to fully get Jack ready so he would have had the same understanding as the other two astronauts Jim and Fred. The third and final reason this obstacle complicates the plot of the movie is that the crew was cutting corners just to prove that they are number one,…

    • 1334 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Apollo 11 Mission
    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Apollo 11 Mission

    And so, in 1966 after 5 years of work, a team of scientists and engineers from around the world conducted the first unmanned Apollo mission. The main purpose of this was to test the structual integrity of the launch vehicle and spacecraft combination that was proposed. Unfortunetely, tragedy struck the Kennedy Space Center on January 27, 1967. A fire broke out during a manned launch-pad test of the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn rocket. All three astronauts: Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom,…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Apollo 13: Flight Vs. Hollywood
    • 1523 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Apollo 13: Flight Vs. Hollywood

    This saved the astronauts as well as bought them more time to make it home safely. Temperatures began to drop and the lack of oxygen still caused doubt that they would never be able to return home. However, the crew and mission control were able to do something that would go down in history as the greatest successful failure of all time. The reason why it was a successful failure was because even though they failed to land on the moon, they were still successful in returning home with the lack of equipment required for it to be possible to return to earth. The entire flight was just short of six days with them landing in…

    • 1523 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Apollo 13: Movie Analysis and Management Styles
    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Apollo 13: Movie Analysis and Management Styles

    When facing issues, conflicts, and the attainment of goals, having the resources of a fully functional manager and team are irreplaceable. A manager that has clear goals and strategies in place is more likely to succeed even when faced with the greatest types of adversity. Every employee of NASA should know about the tragic event of Apollo 13. The background of the team began with the completion between the U.S. and Russia and their space exploration programs. What started out as a routine trip to the moon and back soon became one of the biggest crises NASA had ever experienced. From understanding the plight of the spacecraft, to knowing what needed to be done, to creating a CO2 converter out of materials only available on the spacecraft, the flight is a clear lesson on how to manage a team in a crisis.…

    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics