Transcript[]
Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby
Tim and Moby arrive at the Museum of Space.
TIM: What do you want to see the most?
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Why would you want to see that?
Tim reads from a typed letter.
TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, why was Apollo 13 so famous? From, Alex (Los Angeles). Well, to understand that; you've got to know a little about the Apollo Project.
An animation shows a rocket on a launching pad being launched into space.
TIM: The Apollo Project was a series of space flights dedicated to getting American astronauts on the moon. It was run by NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
An image shows the NASA logo.
TIM: Apollo was a follow-up to NASA's Project Mercury, which had put the first American into orbit around Earth.
An animation shows a spaceship orbiting the earth.
TIM: Apollo officially began in 1961, after President John F. Kennedy declared that the United States would put a man on the moon during the 1960s.
Images show John F. Kennedy, an Apollo spaceship, and the moon.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Well, during the 1950s and 60s, the U.S. was involved in the Cold War, a cultural conflict with the Soviet Union and other Communist nations.
An image shows a map of the Soviet Union. Uncle Sam and a Soviet bear stare at each other to symbolize the Cold War.
TIM: In October of 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth.
An image shows Sputnik 1 orbiting the earth.
TIM:That marked the beginning of a space race; an informal competition between the superpowers to see who could do more with space technology. The Soviets won the early rounds. They launched the first animals into Earth orbit, and the first humans, too.
An image shows a Soviet dog and man in space, followed by an image of the moon.
TIM: So America was determined to get to the moon first, and the Apollo project was how it would get there.
A silhouette of the Apollo launch pad appears in front of the moon.
MOBY: Beep.
An animation shows the Mercury spaceship orbiting the earth.
TIM: Well, earlier space missions were dedicated to seeing how humans could survive in space.
An image shows the Mercury 9 Atlas rocket next to the Apollo 1 Saturn 1B rocket. The Apollo 1 rocket is noticeably larger.
TIM: The Apollo project was way more ambitious, and used bigger rockets and more powerful technology. Unfortunately, things got off to a bad start.
An image shows Apollo 1.
TIM: On January 27th, 1967, during a test for the Apollo 1 mission, a fire broke out in the main capsule.
An image shows the fire inside the spaceship.
TIM: The three pilots on board, Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chafee, were killed.
Images show the three pilots.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Yeah, it was a very bad day. But NASA strengthened its safety procedures, and the program continued. Apollo 7 finally launched three astronauts into space in October of 1968.
An animation shows the Apollo 7 spaceship orbiting the earth.
TIM: Then on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
An image shows Armstrong standing on the moon, planting an American flag on the moon's surface.
TIM: Apollo 11 was an amazing piece of technology! Once the main capsule entered the moon's orbit, a smaller craft called the lunar module broke off from it. This module carried two astronauts down to the surface. Then part of it broke off and carried them back up to the main capsule.
An animation shows how sections of the Apollo 11 spaceship break apart.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Everybody remembers the astronauts, but NASA's Mission Control, located in Houston, Texas, was an equally important part of the program. Dozens of engineers and technicians worked 24 hours a day, monitoring everything from the electrical systems to the health of the crew members.
An image shows the men in Mission Control monitoring computer screens.
TIM: Apollo 13 was scheduled to be another mission to land on the moon.
An animation shows the launch of Apollo 13.
TIM: But two days after it launched, in March of 1970, an explosion cut off crucial oxygen and other supplies to the three-person crew.
. An image shows an explosion onboard the spacecraft.
TIM: The astronauts used the lunar module as a kind of lifeboat, while engineers and flight controllers on Earth worked frantically to get them home.
An arrow points to the lunar module after breaking away from the damaged spacecraft.
TIM: Thankfully, everyone made it back to Earth safely. It was a pretty dramatic rescue, which is probably why you've heard of it.
An image shows the lunar module about to splash down in the ocean.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Well, Apollo 17 carried the last astronauts to the moon and back in 1972. The Apollo Project formally ended 2 years later.
An animation shows Apollo 17 over the moon’s surface.
TIM: But it was a huge technological achievement, and research done for Apollo helped develop the Space Shuttle program.
An animation shows the launching of the Space Shuttle.
TIM: The mission also gave astronauts the chance to bring back moon rock samples, which scientists could use to study our natural satellite.
An image shows moon rocks.
TIM: Plus, we got back amazing pictures of the earth, the way it looks from space, small, fragile, and peaceful.
An image shows Earth as viewed from the moon's surface.
TIM: Images like this helped convince people that we needed to start making some changes in the way we use our resources; the earth is everybody's home, after all.
Tim looks around the museum.
TIM: Moby? Moby?
Moby is inside Apollo 13’s Command Module which is on display at the museum.
TIM: Hey, hey, I don't think you're supposed to be in there.
Tim joins Moby in the spacecraft. Moby presses a lever and shuts the capsule's door. Lights flash on the control panel and the engine turns on. The spaceship's automated voice starts to count down.
APOLLO 13: Ten, nine, eight, seven,
MOBY: Beep.
APOLLO 13: six, five, four,
TIM: I don't know! I don't know!
MOBY: Beep!
APOLLO 13: Three, two,
TIM: Ahhhh!
APOLLO 13: One.
UK Version[]
Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby.
Tim and Moby arrive at the Museum of Space.
TIM: What do you want to see the most?
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Why would you want to see that?
Tim reads from a typed letter.
TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, Why was Apollo 13 so famous? From, Alex. Well, to understand that, you've got to know a little about the Apollo Project.
An animation shows a rocket on a launching pad being launched into space.
TIM: The Apollo Project was a series of space flights dedicated to getting American astronauts on the moon. It was run by NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
An image shows the NASA logo.
TIM: Apollo was a follow-up to NASA's Project Mercury, which had put the first American into orbit around Earth.
An animation shows a spaceship orbiting the Earth.
TIM: Apollo officially began in 1961, after President John F. Kennedy declared that the United States would put a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s.
Images show John F. Kennedy, an Apollo spaceship, and the moon.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Well, during the 1950s and 60s, the U.S. was involved in the Cold War, a cultural conflict with the Soviet Union and other Communist nations.
An image shows a map of the Soviet Union. Uncle Sam and a Soviet bear stare at each other to symbolize the Cold War.
TIM: In October of 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth.
An image shows Sputnik 1 orbiting the Earth.
TIM: That marked the beginning of the space race; an informal competition between the superpowers to see who could do more with space technology. The Soviets won the early rounds - they launched the first animals into Earth orbit, and the first humans, too.
An image shows a Soviet dog and man in space, followed by an image of the moon.
TIM: So America was determined to get to the moon first, and the Apollo project was how it would get there.
A silhouette of the Apollo launch pad appears in front of the moon.
MOBY: Beep.
An animation shows the Mercury spaceship orbiting the Earth.
TIM: Well, earlier missions were dedicated to seeing how humans could survive in space.
An image shows the Mercury 9 Atlas rocket next to the Apollo 1 Saturn 1B rocket. The Apollo 1 rocket is noticeably larger.
TIM: The Apollo project was way more ambitious, and used bigger rockets and more powerful technology. Unfortunately, things got off to a bad start.
An image shows Apollo 1.
TIM: On January the 27th, 1967, during a test for the Apollo 1 mission, a fire broke out in the main capsule.
An image shows the fire inside the spaceship.
TIM: The three pilots on board - Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chafee - were all killed.
Images show the three pilots.
MOBY: Beep. Beep.
TIM: Yes. it was a very bad day. But NASA strengthened its safety procedures, and the program continued. Apollo 7 finally launched three astronauts into space in October 1968.
An animation shows the Apollo 7 spaceship orbiting the Earth.
TIM: But the most memorable mission was the Apollo 11, when, on July the 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first ever man to set foot on the moon.
An image shows Armstrong standing on the moon, planting an American flag on the moon's surface.
TIM: Apollo 11 was an amazing piece of technology! Once the main capsule entered the moon's orbit, a smaller craft called the lunar module broke off from it. This module carries two astronauts down to the surface. Then, part of it broke off and carried them back up to the main capsule again.
An animation shows how sections of the Apollo 11 spaceship break apart.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Everybody remembers the astronauts, but NASA's Mission Control, located in Houston, Texas, was an equally important part of the program. Dozens of engineers and technicians worked 24 hours a day, monitoring everything from the electrical systems to the health of the crew members!
An image shows the men in Mission Control monitoring computer screens.
TIM: Apollo 13 was scheduled to be another mission to land on the moon.
An animation shows the launch of Apollo 13.
TIM: But just 2 days after it launched, in March of 1970, an unexpected explosion cut off crucial oxygen and other supplies to the 3-person crew.
An image shows an explosion onboard the spacecraft.
TIM: The astronauts used the lunar module as a kind of lifeboat, while engineers and flight controllers on Earth worked frantically to get them home.
An arrow points to the lunar module after breaking away from the damaged spacecraft.
TIM: Thankfully, everyone made it back to Earth safely. It was a pretty dramatic rescue. Everyone was glued to their radios and TV sets, praying for a safe re-entry and landing, which is probably why you've heard of it.
An image shows the lunar module about to splash down in the ocean.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Well, Apollo 17 carried the last astronauts to the moon and back in 1972. The Apollo Project formally ended two years later.
An animation shows Apollo 17 over the moon’s surface.
TIM: But it was a huge technological achievement, and it was the research done for Apollo that helped develop the Space Shuttle program.
An animation shows the launching of the Space Shuttle.
TIM: The missions also gave astronauts the chance to bring back moon rock samples, which scientists could use to study our natural satellite.
An image shows moon rocks.
TIM: Plus, we got back amazing pictures of Earth, the way it looks from space - small, fragile, and peaceful. Images like this helped convince people that we needed to start making some changes in the way we use our resources; the earth is everybody's home, after all.
An image shows Earth as viewed from the moon's surface.
TIM: Moby? Moby?
Tim looks around the museum, and finds Moby, inside Apollo 13's Command Module, which is on display at the museum.
TIM: Hey, I don't think you're supposed to be in there.
Tim joins Moby in the spacecraft. Moby presses a lever and shuts the capsule's door. Lights flash on the control panel and the engine turns on. The spaceship's automated voice starts to count down.
APOLLO 13: Ten, nine, eight, seven--
MOBY: Beep.
APOLLO 13: Six, five, four--
TIM: I don't know! I don't know!
MOBY: Beep!
APOLLO 13: Three, two--
TIM: Ahhhh!
APOLLO 13: One.