Top 10 Technical Errors and Anachronisms
in the Movie Apollo 13


10. The NASA "worm" logo appears on a glass door. The logo was not developed until 1976.

9. One engineer checks an astronaut's addition using a slide rule. Slide rules are not used for addition.

8. Jim Lovell's license plate is new.

7. The astronauts point out the Sea of Tranquility while on the far side of the moon. It is on the near side.

6. A technician at the cape is wearing a Rockwell Intl logo on his coveralls. The Apollo capsule was built by North American, which did not become Rockwell Intl until after the Apollo program.

5. The gantry arms for the Saturn V were released in unison, not one at a time.

4. During re-entry, the spacecraft is shown hurling directly at the Earth. At that angle, it would punch a brief but fiery hole through the atmosphere. It should be aiming toward the horizon.

3. The paint pattern on the Saturn V is for the test configuration, not the launch configuration.

2. The astronauts look at their intended landing site while on the far side of the moon. It is a good thing they didn't land - no communications with plant Earth would be possible. All Apollo landing sites were on the near side.

1. In space, from outside the capsule, propulsion jets do not make any noise.


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Last updated March 12, 2003 10:38 AM