Astronauts who almost never made it back home

What if astronauts were sent to space knowing there was a real possibility they might never return? Well, that was exactly what happened with the Apollo 11 mission. When NASA announced its Apollo 11 mission, in a chilling turn of events, President Nixon feared that the astronauts might have to stay on the Moon forever. After all, no human had ever set foot on the lunar surface. Taking a daring leap, the duo of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin accepted the challenge of exploring the thrill of walking on the moon.

The picture shows Aldrin and Armstrong engaging in an EVA training. Both astronauts can be seen learning how to use their Hasselblad 500EL for their mission. 

As Armstrong and Aldrin reached the surface of the moon, history was created. This picture, dated July 20, 1969, shows Aldrin posing for a photograph beside the US National flag on the lunar surface. And while both astronauts made their way back to the blue planet safely, preparations were underway in case the mission failed. President Nixon even had a speech prepared, which reportedly ended with the phrase, “They will remain there in peace.”

“Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here,” echoed Jack Swigert’s voice at Mission Control. And this was scary because a problem in space means the chances of survival are bleak. Following the Apollo 13 launch, the excitement levels were peaking. Until, just 48 hours later, things took a dark turn. Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert were terrified when they found one of the oxygen tanks exploding. Immediately, it was mayday for the members aboard the spacecraft. Not only did the oxygen levels plummet, but power grids also started to falter, and water became limited. With the situation deteriorating, the moon landing was canceled immediately.

In the picture dated April 17, 1970, the Commanding Officer of Task Force 130, the Pacific Recovery Forces for the Manned Spacecraft Missions, Rear Admiral Donald C. Davis, is seen welcoming the astronauts on the USS Iwo Jima, which acted as the primary recovery ship.

This image captures the Apollo 13 recovery operations in the South Pacific on April 17, 1970. Astronaut and lunar module pilot Fred W Haise Jr can be spotted in the image, who was to be hoisted up to a recovery helicopter from the USS Iwo Jima. Awaiting their return are command pilot John L Swigert Jr (center) and commander James A Lovell Jr (right). Another member of an underwater demolition team can be spotted, who was assisting with the recovery.

When your crew members are stranded at more than 200,000 miles from Earth under volatile conditions, recovery looks impossible. And NASA Mission Control was already praying for their fellow astronauts. Thankfully, the ones in space refused to give up and pulled off a science fiction script in the expansive void of space. The crew moved into a lunar module, Aquarius,’ which served as a lifeboat. The engineers then designed a makeshift carbon dioxide filter using spare parts such as plastic bags, cardboard, and tape. Later, the crew turned off the power to conserve energy. It led to temperatures going as low as 38 degrees Fahrenheit. As the crew returned to Earth, Apollo 13 became one of the best survival stories in NASA’s history.

In the picture from April 17, 1970, astronaut James Lovell is seen reading a newspaper account of their journey back home.

Launched on March 16, 1966, NASA's Gemini 8 mission, crewed by Neil Armstrong and David Scott, etched history. The mission achieved the first successful docking of two spacecraft in orbit. But right after the successful docking in space, the spacecraft started to spin violently and uncontrollably. The spacecraft was spinning once every second. 

This image shows Neil Armstrong and David R. Scott, the commander and the pilot of the Gemini 8 mission. On March 16 of 1996, the spacecraft was launched at 11:41 a.m. EST.

In the Gemini 8 mission, the crew was almost losing consciousness and failed to perceive and see things clearly. But Armstrong tried to keep calm and fired emergency thrusters. That finally stabilized the spacecraft and saved the crew. 

In this image, we can see the first docking of two spacecraft in Earth's orbit in March 1996. Later, such a mission and path-breaking technology proved to be a milestone for future research and succeeding Moon missions.

In the year 1985, the Soviet Union launched a daring rescue mission to save the failing Salyut 7 after the 20-ton space station lost power and began drifting lifelessly through orbit. Cosmonauts Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Viktor Savinykh were sent to manually dock with the frozen station, a risky feat never attempted before. Against the odds, they succeeded, restoring power and turning the mission into one of space history’s greatest rescue stories.

In this image, French astronaut Jean-Loup Chretien can be spotted in the image as Patrick Baudry gives him a cigar to welcome him back after the Soyuz T-6 Russian space capsule's safe landing.