Apollo 13: how were the weightless scenes shot?

Released in cinemas in 1995, the cult movie Apollo 13worn by Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxtonwill be rebroadcast on Sunday January 30, 2022, from 9:05 p.m. on 6ter. Directed by Ron Howardthis feature film tells the story ofApollo 13, the seventh manned space mission to the Moon of the American Apollo program. The latter was crewed by astronaut James Lovell, played on screen by Tom Hanksbut also Fred Haise, performed by Bill Paxtonand finally Jack Swigert, played by Kevin Bacon. The departure takes place on April 11, 1970 at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston. The takeoff is a success, despite a cut in the number 5 engine of the rocket.

But, on April 13, 1970, astronaut Jack Swigert alerted the NASA command center. In fact, an explosion aboard their craft destroyed one oxygen tank and damaged the other tank, as well as several of the ship’s fuel cells. The Control Module Main Motor (CSM) may also be damaged, which makes the planned lunar mission impossible. This forces the men in charge of mission control in Houston to choose a trajectory passing through lunar orbit for the return of the crew fromApollo 13 on earth. Boasts an estimated production budget of between $50-60 millionthis film was a great success, given that it collected $355 million in revenue around the world during its theatrical run.

Apollo 13: when Ron Howard consulted Steven Spielberg for certain scenes

For the purposes of this feature film, Ron Haward had to stage several sequences supposed to take place in weightlessness. Knowing this, the filmmaker worked with several specialists in the matter. The director also used a luxury consultant, in the person of his illustrious colleague Steven Spielberg. It was the latter who suggested the use of a KC-135 aircraft, capable of simulating weightlessness for sequences of 20-25 seconds following a parabolic trajectory. A training method used for NASA pilots, to which the actors complied. The filming of the scenes in weightlessness therefore took place in this way, for short periods of time, requiring more than 600 sequences.

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