13 Factors That Saved Apollo 13

If you've seen Ron Howard's Apollo 13, then you know the story. However, this documentary goes deeper into what went wrong, and what went right.

It's a very fascinating story that can be told until the end of time and with this documentary, you learn a few new things that compliment what you already know.

Interviews with the people who were involved in the rescue provide a great insight into not only what happened to get the crew home, but what was the thinking and feeling during the disaster.

It's scientific, thorough and very very interesting. The drama of how dangerous and critical each step was in successfully getting the crew home is heightened and at the forefront of the documentary but balanced with the extraordinary stories of the efforts by everyone involved to make it a successful rescue.

If you have any interest in the Apollo missions, and/or Apollo 13, then this is a must see documentary. Excellent from start to finish.

A decent attempt at explaining the issues and how they were overcome, although shoehorning 13 factors in to fit the nomenclature of Apollo 13 seemed a little too convenient.

It was also spoiled by the inclusion of David Baker, whose professional credentials as part of the Apollo program have been called into question, resulting in his resignation in 2021 as editor of the British Interplanetary Society magazine Spaceflight. Viewed through this lens, his alleged insights into the inner working of the ground teams can be seen in a different light.

Additionally, there was a lot of mention at the outset of how the public was losing interest in the Apollo program, but this was not subsequently followed up, aside from a few, random crowd shots.

We all know the well-worn story of Apollo 13. Despite having heard it a million times before, it's still riveting and heart-stoppingly tense. However, this film doesn't add anything new to the party and just runs through the same-old, same-old. It's nicely done, but we've been here before.

Love Ron Howard's A13 and this is a perfect follow up documentary. Obviously the limitations of a feature film mean that information has to be passed over but this reveals the full process the astronauts and mission control took to get the crew home. Fascinating and well executed.