Do Good Work

January 27, 1967 — The crew of Apollo 1 is killed in a flash-fire during a ground test

Chicago meteorologist Tom Skilling, astronaut Jim Lovell (age 96!!) and Jim's daughter Sue. September 5, 2024 From Tom's facebook page:

I was honored Thursday to meet and interview famed NASA astronaut Captain James Lovell, who commanded a series of NASA Apollo missions to the moon, including the ill fated Apollo 13 mission launched on April 11, 1970--the mission memorialized in the heart-stopping Ron Howard movie Apollo 13 which cataloged the desperate efforts to bring Lovell and his crew back to Earth alive after a devastating and potentially deadly onboard explosion crippled the spacecraft. Tom Hanks played Captain Lovell in the movie.

Captain James Lovell--an icon of the American space program, the commander of the Apollo 13 mission and an American hero--is one of only 24 people on this planet who have flown to the moon. Lovell resides here in the Chicago area. He built rockets as a teenager and would visit Adler Planetarium on his visits to Chicago from Milwaukee to see his Aunt and pick up chemicals and supplies for his rockets. He kids saying had he traveled here to buy similar chemicals for his amateur rockets today, he'd probably be put on a terrorist watchlist.

The Apollo 13 mission, which was to have been the third to land on the moon, followed successful Apollo 11 and 12 missions to the moon. It got underway in a country torn by the Viet Nam War and with a population which had come to believe moon missions were routine and was paying less and less attention to our country's space launches--something which was to change with an explosion on Apollo 13.

Space missions were anything BUT routine and the lackadaisical attitude among members of the public was to give way to nationwide horror and concern when it was learned an oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 had exploded as the spacecraft headed to the moon. Millions across this country and the world were glued to television sets and newspapers to follow developments, profoundly worried about the safety and the lives of the Apollo 13's three crew members. The explosion had terribly damaged the spacecraft and literally put the lives of Capt Lovell and his crew on the line. So damaged was the spacecraft that plans for a third moon landing were immediately scrubbed and the Apollo 13 mission turned into one of the most riveting and frightening human survival stories ever.

Capt. Lovell and his fellow crew members Fred Haise and Jack Swigert went to work with engineers on the ground in what became a life and death struggle to bring the crew home safely.

In the wake of the explosion, Lovell reported looking out a window of the Apollo 13 spacecraft to the horrifying sight of gas venting out into space. It turned out it was the craft's life supporting oxygen supply. What's more, a red light came on in the cabin indicating the explosion had taken out two of the Apollo 13's three fuel cells---a terrifying development which threatened a complete electrical failure and a shutdown of water for the crew in the deadly absolute zero cold of space.

To say these developments were life threatening is an understatement. Capt Lovell said he felt the odds of he and his crew making back to Earth were only 50-50---if that!

The ill fated Apollo 13 flight was memorialized in the Ron Howard movie in which Tom Hanks played Capt Lovell. It is a riveting film which makes it clear why millions back here on Earth became riveted to their television sets for updates on the crew and its safety--a crew forced at one point to shut down all electronics to conserve electricity, shivering in the bitterly cold, terribly damaged spacecraft , as it struggled to make it back to Earth.

My full interview with Captain Lovell, now 96 years young, will be posted here in coming days. But I thought you'd be interested in seeing some early photos of Capt. Lovell during the interview. Joining us was his daughter Sue who, along with the Lovell family, has devoted years of support to the Adler Planetarium. Capt Lovell has turned virtually all his space artifacts over to Adler where they can be viewed by all who visit the Planetarium. The Apollo 13 NASA capsule can be see there as well--something which was also arranged by Capt. Lovell.

Also included below are several shots of my WGN crew, which included producer Katharin Czink and our amazing video journalists Steve Scheuer and Vince Tagle.

A very special happy birthday to Air Force test pilot, mechanical engineer, NASA astronaut, and all-around superhero Lt. Col. Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967), who would’ve turned 95 years old today! Gus was one of NASA’s original Mercury Seven astronauts, the second American in space, and the first human to fly in space twice. He was a dad, a husband, a brother, and a son. He’s also my favorite person in the universe. His life and sacrifice continue to inspire people all over the world. Happy birthday, bubba ❤️

“Do good work.”

“There have been times when all of us have wished we’d gone in for some other line of work, say welding or psychology. Who hasn’t? But when the first man touches down on the moon a few years from now, we’ll know the whole thing has been more than worth it.” 

“You are scared, but you learn to take care of yourself.”

“There are few who pass this way of whom it cannot be said that they leave it a poorer place. Gus, however, enriched all of our lives by his presence, and left for future generations who will be travelling to the stars a rich heritage of knowledge, courage, and devotion to an idea. His name will be written in eternity as a pioneer and an explorer of the unknown.” -Walter Cronkite

“The rest of the astronauts thought the world of him.” -Walter Sullivan, Jr.

“Gus did not consider himself the hero type, nor was he impressed with personal prestige. He was a quiet, unassuming, and completely unpretentious person… He possessed a strong desire to succeed in everything he undertook, and this unbeatable desire to win was matched only by his determination and perseverance to see a job through to its satisfactory conclusion.” -Wally Schirra

Since there’s less than a week until this one’s birthday…

Here’s Gus (on the right) with his younger siblings Wilma and Norman, 1934. Their youngest brother, Lowell, was probably on the way. Gus was his parents’ second child, but their first daughter, Lena, died as a baby before Gus was born, so he was the oldest his whole life.

This is one of my favorite Gus stories of all time!!! I’ve read about it before but just a short blurb, not the whole thing. This is from late March 1965, shortly after the flight of Gemini 3. Gus and John were in New York for a ticker tape parade and other honors. Here’s the article transcription below the cut: