James A. (Jim) Lovell, Jr. Commander

• 715 hours in space
• 4 missions
• 42 age at launch

One of NASA's most experienced astronauts at the time of the Apollo 13 mission, Jim Lovell had been a test pilot before joining the NASA program in a group that also included Neil Armstrong. He was the Pilot for Gemini 7 with Frank Borman, performing the first space rendezvous with Gemini 6a, and then the Command Pilot on Gemini 12 with Buzz Aldrin. In the Apollo Program he had been Command Module Pilot for Apollo 8 which performed the first lunar orbit, before being assigned as Commander of the Apollo 13 mission.

Jim Lovell (CDR) in words

Fred W. Haise, Jr. Lunar Module Pilot

• 142 hours in space
• 1 missions
• 36 age at launch

Fred Haise had become a NASA astronaut in April 1966 (along with many of the astronauts involved in Apollo 13 both in space and on ground at Mission Control) after over ten years as a fighter pilot with the USMC and several years as a NASA research pilot. Following the Apollo Program, he was the commander of Enterprise during the Shuttle Program's Approach & Landing Tests in 1977.

Fred Haise (LMP) in words

John L. (Jack) Swigert, Jr. Command Module Pilot

• 142 hours in space
• 1 missions
• 38 age at launch

A former USAF aviator and commercial test pilot, Jack Swigert was the only unmarried NASA astronaut when he joined in 1966. After leaving NASA, he served as staff director of the Committee on Science and Technology of the US House of Representatives, and was elected in Colorado's 6th congressional district in November 1982 although he succumbed to bone cancer before being sworn in.

Jack Swigert (CMP) in words

Capsule Communicator

Throughout the Apollo Space Program, the CAPCOM was another astronaut who was the main person to communicate with the crew, as it was considered that someone who had that training would be best able to clearly pass information back and forth. On Apollo 13, there were three CAPCOMs operating in shifts.

Flight Director

The flight director had overall operational responsibility for missions, leading their flight control team. On Apollo 13, there were four FLIGHT teams operating in shifts. Shift changes are occasionally noted in the transcript.