(7) Bob Zimmerman describes how the mission's return depended on a high-stakes Trans-Earth Injection burn, after which Jim Lovell famously radioed that "there is a Santa Claus." Zimmerman describes a navigation crisis where Lovell accidentally wiped the c

(7) Bob Zimmerman describes how the mission's return depended on a high-stakes Trans-Earth Injection burn, after which Jim Lovell famously radioed that "there is a Santa Claus." Zimmerman describes a navigation crisis where Lovellaccidentally wiped the computer's orientation data, forcing him to use a sextant and stars—ancient naval tools—to manually realign the ship. The guest marvels at the "double skip" re-entry, where the capsule bounced off the atmosphere at 25,000 miles per hour to slow down. Despite turning upside down in the Pacific, the crew returned safely, fulfilling a mission with odds NASA originally pegged at only 50/50.
1959