Chapter 1: A Fortunate Encounter at NASA

During my time at NASA, I had the incredible opportunity to work alongside and form a friendship with Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise.

It all began in April 1970. As a teenager residing just a few miles from NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center—now known as the Johnson Space Center in Houston—I was fortunate enough to land a temporary position with ABC-TV to cover the Apollo 13 mission. Prior to this, I had been involved with the Apollo 11 and 12 missions. While both of those missions successfully landed on the Moon, Apollo 13 presented a very different set of challenges.

Apollo 13 launched at precisely 13:13 Houston time on April 11, 1970, with a crew consisting of Commander Jim Lovell, Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise, and Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert. Unfortunately, on April 13, merely 56 hours after liftoff, an unfortunate incident occurred. Swigert was instructed to activate the stirring fans in the cryogenic oxygen tanks—a standard procedure. Moments later, a loud explosion echoed through the spacecraft, prompting Swigert to relay the iconic message to Mission Control: “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”

The explosion of an oxygen tank in the Command Module severely compromised the vessel, putting the lives of the three astronauts in grave danger. Over the subsequent four days, the world watched in awe as NASA undertook the seemingly insurmountable task of ensuring the safe return of the astronauts. Against all odds, with remarkable teamwork from fellow astronauts and engineers on the ground, they successfully made it back home. This mission is often celebrated as “NASA’s most successful failure.”

Living in the same community as the astronauts and their families, I viewed all three as heroes. The journey back from space was undoubtedly fraught with difficulties for the crew and their loved ones, but Fred Haise faced particularly tough challenges. He suffered from a severe urinary tract infection due to inadequate water intake after the explosion, leaving him not just hungry and thirsty but also unwell and cold.

In 1977, after the harrowing experience of Apollo 13, Fred, now a Commander, and Pilot Gordon Fullerton became the first to pilot the Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise during its Approach and Landing tests at Edwards Air Force Base—four years before the Shuttle’s inaugural orbital flight with Shuttle Columbia.

With significant delays in the Shuttle Program and not wishing to wait for another flight, Fred made the decision to retire from NASA in 1979. He took a position at Grumman Aerospace, the company responsible for constructing the Lunar Modules for NASA, where he had spent considerable time supervising their production during the Apollo Program.

Fast forward to 1987, I found myself working as the Contracting Officer at Kennedy Space Center, tasked with awarding a contract to an aerospace company for engineering support for NASA's early Space Station Program. Grumman emerged victorious in the competition against TRW, and as fate would have it, Fred was appointed as the President of their newly created Space Station Program Support Division.

The contract, valued at $891 million, was set for a ten-year duration. Fred and I collaborated closely to iron out the details, with him signing for Grumman and me for NASA. The President and CEO of Grumman was so enthusiastic about this new NASA Space Station contract that they arranged for me to fly to their headquarters in Bethpage, NY, for a photo op for the company newsletter. (In the photo, I’m the young individual standing to Fred’s left.)

Over the next few years, I worked alongside Fred in support of the Space Station Program Office located in Reston, VA. To cut a long story short, this early design iteration, known as Space Station Freedom, was ultimately scrapped due to budget overruns, delays, and insufficient congressional backing. By the early 1990s, Russia had joined the program, which evolved into what we now recognize as the International Space Station (ISS).

In the mid-1990s, both Fred and I returned to Houston, living just a short distance from one another near the Johnson Space Center, and have maintained our friendship since. We often enjoy meals at Frenchie’s Italian, a well-loved local spot for astronauts close to JSC. We are both active members of the NASA Alumni League at Johnson Space Center.

Last year, Fred published his autobiography titled “Never Panic Early.” He held a book signing event at Space Center Houston, where he shared captivating stories about his experiences during Apollo 13 and the Shuttle Enterprise, as well as his tenure at Grumman. He expressed his frustration about not being able to include all the material he wished in his book, leading him to create a website where he shares the omitted stories, photographs, and documents—[Home — FredHaise.space](http://FredHaise.space).

After his presentation, I had the chance to briefly chat with him as he signed my book. At 90 years old, Fred may not be as mobile as he once was, but he remains active. He still occasionally visits schools to speak with students, though he mentioned facing challenges recently, as young children often struggle to believe that this older man with white hair, using a walker, is indeed an astronaut.

Fred enjoyed the “Apollo 13” film. Prior to filming, Bill Paxton, who portrayed Fred, came to KSC for a tour, where Fred showed him around the center, including the new Space Station facility. Even though the hardware hadn’t been delivered yet, Fred took him to explore underground tunnels housing testing lines, and Bill remarked, “Wow. This is where I should have filmed ‘Aliens.’”

I have recently completed a draft of a memoir about my career at NASA, which is currently undergoing editing. Fred has been such a significant and inspirational figure in my life that I dedicated an entire chapter to him, in addition to the section on Apollo 13.

We have lost several astronauts and NASA legends in recent months, including Dick Truly, George Abbey, and Tom Stafford. My hope is that Fred reaches the milestone of 100 years.

Chapter 2: Video Reflections on Apollo 13

In this video, Fred Haise shares personal stories from his time as an astronaut during the Apollo 13 mission, providing a unique glimpse into the challenges faced by the crew.

This storytelling session features Fred Haise discussing his experiences during Apollo 13, offering insights into the mission's impact on space exploration and his life thereafter.