Space and the High Seas

Apollo 13. The first space shuttle. The Titanic. What a historic week for transportation-related victories…and disasters.

U.S. spaceflight Apollo 13 was launched on April 11, 1970. Immediately following a successful television broadcast from space, an oxygen tank exploded, leaving astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert to wonder if they would ever get back home. Although Apollo 13 never made it to the moon, the astronauts were rescued, and the mission was deemed a “successful failure.”  

On April 12, 1981, NASA launched their first Space Transportation System, or space shuttle, mission. Space Shuttle Columbia was the world’s first re-usable spacecraft, and the launch ended a long hiatus in American space flight, ushering in a new era of space exploration.

April 15^th marks 111 years since the ill-fated Titanic sank off the coast of Halifax, killing an estimated 1,500 people, but Titanic’s tragic legacy “goes on and on.” Fans of James Cameron’s Titanic celebrated the film’s 25^th anniversary in February with the theatrical release of a remastered 3-D version, and the interactive experience “Titanic: The Exhibition” is currently touring the world.

Check out this week’s video clips to see how far we have come in the modern age of space travel and cruising.