But on April 13, 1970, an oxygen tank explosion aboard the Apollo 13 spacecraft set a harrowing mission into motion—and its success would turn a team of heartland boys into national heroes. A little more than two days into the mission’s voyage to the moon, the command module began to lose its supply of electricity and water. That’s when astronaut John Swigert uttered the phrase that would implant mission control in the public’s consciousness: “Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”