Apollo 2000: Commanding the Millennium Transition Zone

by Martyn Emery

"Houston, we have a problem." With these immortal words, the Apollo 13 crew first alerted the Mission Control Center that their flight was starting to experience abnormal conditions. Having all aspects of the Apollo 13 program controlled by a dedicated support center, with immediate access to the space industry's technical elite, ensured that the reported abnormalities were evaluated into documented problems. With the source of these problems then identified, Mission Control was able to offer guidance on temporary relief and operational flight strategy. The main problem, a design fault in the oxygen tank, was resolved months later and successfully implemented in Apollo 14 the next year.