Race To Save Apollo 13 Essay

Michael Useem’s “Race to Save Apollo 13” centers around the role of flight director Eugene Kranz in the return of the damaged spacecraft containing three American astronauts. It tells of how problems arose in the mission after the explosion of an oxygen tank which took out two fuel cells on the spacecraft Odyssey. Kranz’s responsibility during the mission was to come up with solutions to all the problems and to return the astronauts home safely. “Race To Save Apollo 13” shows how he managed to solve all the issues that came up during the mission under the immense pressures. In his telling of Kranz’s actions during the course of the mission, Useem shows Kranz to demonstrate the leadership principles of organization, communication, and the ability

This originated with his organization of, “Four rotating flight teams -- dubbed White, Black, Gold, and Maroon… scheduled to spell one another during the mission’s long days ahead”(Useem 122). He created this to maintain a fully manned and functional crew at all times during the mission. This was then shown when he removed the white team from this cycle and used them to brainstorm protocols for the mission. He placed people where he thought they would be most helpful to him throughout the mission. He eventually even changed out a member of the new team for someone who he thought would aid on that team more. He knew how to put his most talented people on the team to the most use. He kept everything organized and under

When Kranz was faced with the issue of whether or not to go through with the power-down and passive thermal control roll with the risks of having a tired crew that could potentially have an accident and put strain on the available energy left on the spacecraft or let the crew take a sleeping period and lose extra power during the time that is essential to be conserved at the time rather than risk an accident. Kranz was able to listen to multiple opinions on the choice, then create his own, “Gentlemen… I thank you for your input….The next job for this crew will be to execute a thermal roll. After that, they will power down their spacecraft. And finally, they will get some sleep. A tired crew can get over their fatigue, but if we damage this ship any further, we’re not going to get over that”(Useem 129). He trusted his decision rather than second guessing and possibly wasting precious time. He made the best decision he saw possible at the moment. He was able to make a dire, time-sensitive decision and execute it with efficiency for the future benefit of bringing the astronauts home even if he had to compromise their full comprehension by delaying their sleep