A tale of two Apollos: Apollo 13 versus MV Apollo

The MV Apollo may have been stuck in ice in St. Barbe for days, but the crew aboard the Apollo space shuttle nearly ran out of oxygen while on a space mission.

When?

Apollo 13 launched from Kennedy Space Center April 11, 1970, circled the moon and splashed down six days later on Earth April 17 .

MV Apollo docked at St. Barbe March 2, 2015, and did not leave until the night of March 11, 2015.

Unrest and emergency

Fifty-six hours into the Apollo 13 mission an oxygen tank exploded and started a fire.

MV Apollo passengers exploded in anger after being stranded for more than a week.

Essentials low

On Apollo 13, food, water and oxygen ran low and temperatures dipped in the command module as the astronauts hurtled back to earth.

With the MV Apollo stranded by ice, food spoiled in the back of transport trucks and a small Quebec grocer said he ran out of fruits and vegetables.

Resolution?

NASA asked University of Toronto engineers to figure out how to separate the command module from the lunar module so the astronauts could splash down safely on Earth.

Canadian Coast Guard marine engineers and the entire crew of both the Ann Harvey and Terry Fox are working to clear a path through the ice for the MV Apollo.