Richard Nixon photo

Statement Following the Safe Return of the Apollo 13 Astronauts.

April 17, 1970

FOR MUCH of mankind the reaches of space had never seemed so infinitely remote as they did when Apollo 13 was crippled nearly a quarter of a million miles from earth, headed toward the moon.

With Astronauts Lovell, Haise, and Swigert safely back on earth, a surpassing human drama that gripped the world for 3 1/2 days at last has a happy ending. Their safe return is a tribute to their own courage and also to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of those on the ground who helped transform potential tragedy into a heart stopping rescue.

From the beginning, man's ventures into space have been accompanied by danger. Apollo 13 reminds us how real those dangers are. It reminds us of the special qualities of the men who dare to brave the perils of space. It testifies, also, to the extraordinary concert of skills, in space and on the ground, that goes into a moon mission.

To the astronauts, a relieved Nation says "Welcome home."

To them and to those on the ground who did so magnificent a job of guiding Apollo 13 safely back from the edge of eternity, a grateful Nation says "Well done.

Note: Toward the end of Apollo 13's 3-day trip to the moon on April 13, 1970, an explosion in the service module destroyed most of the command module's oxygen and power supplies. The moon landing had to be abandoned and the crew was forced to rely on the lunar excursion module during their safe return to earth.

On the same day, the President issued Proclamation 3979 designating Sunday, April 19, 1970, as a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving for the safe return of the astronauts and the White House released the transcripts of two news briefings by Michael Collins, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, and William Anders, Executive Secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council, on the President's activities before and after splashdown.

Richard Nixon, Statement Following the Safe Return of the Apollo 13 Astronauts. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/241038

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