Against all odds, the Apollo 13 crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean 55 years ago today. As the Apollo 13 spacecraft hurtled back to Earth #OTD in 1970, a communications blackout of about 4 minutes was expected as the spacecraft passed through the atmosphere. But the blackout ended up being nearly 1.5 minutes longer than predicted. Flight Director Gene Kranz called it the “toughest minute and a half we ever had.” Image description: Crewmen aboard the USS Iwo Jima, prime recovery ship for the Apollo 13 mission, guide the Command Module (CM) atop a dolly onboard the ship. The CM is connected by strong cable to a hoist on the vessel. The Apollo 13 crew members, astronauts James A. Lovell Jr., commander; John L. Swigert Jr., command module pilot; and Fred W. Haise Jr., lunar module pilot, were already aboard the USS Iwo Jima when this photograph was taken. Credit: NASA #TBT #OTD #Apollo #NASAHistory #Apollo13 #PacificOcean #Splashdown #Astronauts