Apollo 13 Lunar Module. View of Aquarius, the Lunar Module of the Apollo 13 spacecraft, taken shortly before the crew re-entered Earth's atmosphere. Apollo 13, launched on 11 April 1970, was planned as the third manned Moon landing. Two days into the flight, 300,000km from Earth, an oxygen tank in the spacecraft exploded. With their normal supplies of oxygen and electricity destroyed, the astronauts used the Lunar Module as a 'liferaft' to keep them alive. After passing around the Moon, Apollo 13 headed back to Earth. Just before arriving, the crew transferred back into the Command Module for re-entry and jettisoned their 'liferaft'.