Iwo Jima after safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. Apollo 13 was termed a "successful failure," because the crew survived even though they did not accomplish its original objective of landing on the moon. Apollo 13 launched on April 11, 1970, but an oxygen tank in the Service Module had exploded around 56 hours into the mission, as a result of a series of mismatched modifications and unfortunate testing, causing the mission and the astronauts being put in jeopardy. The Moon landing did not happen, but the astronauts landed safely in the Pacific Ocean on April 17.]]> Chronopoints]]> Florida Space Coast History Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>