Chances are good you know of Apollo 13, either from history, experience, or that movie with Tom Hanks. It was today in 1970 AD that the phrase “Houston, we’ve got a problem” assumed some real meaning. I mention this for a few reasons.

First of all, it’s a bit of history worth knowing. The movie does the story much justice, according to my parents who were both glued to their televisions for a week. If you’d like a fabulous pictorial with info and graphics from the NASA archives, check this out.

Second, this is an outer-space podcast. I had to mention this little event, especially given what went down in Episode 13.

Finally, and most importantly, I found this little tidbit in the pictorial I mentioned above:

Premier Aleksei N. Kosygin sent a message saying: “I want to inform you (U.S. Government) the Soviet Government has given orders to all citizens and members of the armed forces to use all necessary means to render assistance in the rescue of the American (Apollo 13) astronauts.”

That means that, in the midst of the Cold War, some leaders were able to see the humanity in a perceived enemy. It’s gestures like this that end wars, or prevent them from happening. If anything can be learned from the story of Apollo 13, I think the lesson will be in a short statement from a Soviet leader. And those from France, Britain, Holland, Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil and Uruguay…

It’s amazing how many nations will come together for three humans stuck in a little can somewhere between here and the moon.

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