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On April 13, 1970, James Lovell, Jr., John Swigert, Jr., and Fred Haise, Jr., were en route to the moon aboard the third manned U.S. lunar landing mission, Apollo 13, when disaster struck 200,000 miles from earth. Two days into the mission, liquid oxygen tank No. 2 exploded, disabling the normal supply of oxygen, electricity, light, and water. A moment later Swigert reported to NASA mission control: ''Houston, we've had a problem.'' The lunar landing was subsequently aborted, and mission control turned its efforts to saving the lives of the three astronauts. The crippled spacecraft continued to the moon, circled it, and began a long, cold journey back to earth. The astronauts and mission control were faced with enormous logistical problems in stabilizing the spacecraft and its oxygen supply and providing enough energy to the damaged fuel cells to allow successful reentry into the earth's atmosphere. On April 17, with the world anxiously watching, tragedy turned to triumph as the Apollo 13 astronauts touched down safely in the Pacific Ocean.