Today is the 50th anniversary of the explosion that crippled Apollo 13 on its way to the moon.
I vividly remember Walter Cronkite's grave tones on CBS, explaining the accident and what happens next. It didn't look good. There was just a narrow window of opportunity for a safe return to earth. It was a frightening time.
Of all the things that happened that week, one of the things I remember most is my third grade teacher leading our class in prayer for the safe return of the astronauts. Remember, this was public school. If a teacher tried that today, there would likely be a letter of reprimand in your file-- or worse!
As it turned out, the astronauts made it back safely. We learned NASA can be a fantastic problem solver. What was nearly a disaster became a spectacular triumph.
You could hear the national sigh of relief as the astronauts were plucked from their capsule in the Pacific, near Samoa.