Gene Kranz: I don't care about what anything was *designed* to do. I care about what it *can* do.
Marilyn Lovell: Naturally, it's 13. Why 13?
Jim Lovell: It comes after 12, hon.
Fred Haise: It hurts when I urinate.
Jim Lovell: Well, you're not getting enough water.
Fred Haise: No, I'm drinkin' my rations, same as you... I think old Swigert gave me the clap. Been pissin' in my relief tube.
Jim Lovell: Well, that'd be a hot one at the debriefing for the flight surgeons... Another first for America's spacemen.
Gene Kranz: Let's work the problem people. Let's not make things worse by guessing.
NASA Director: This could be the worst disaster NASA's ever experienced.
Gene Kranz: With all due respect, sir, I believe this is gonna be our finest hour.
Gene Kranz: We've never lost an American in space, and we sure as hell not gonna lose one on my watch! Failure is not an option. (01:16:55)
Marilyn Lovell: I can't deal with cleaning up. Let's sell the house.
Jim Lovell: We just put Sir Isaac Newton in the driver's seat.
Jim Lovell: Gentlemen, it's been a privilege flying with you.
Technician: How much power have we got to work with?
John Aaron, EECOM Arthur: Barely enough to run this coffee pot for nine hours.
Marilyn Lovell: Blanche, Blanche, these nice young men are going to watch the television with you. This is Neil Armstrong, and this is Buzz... Aldrin.
Neil Armstrong: Hi.
Blanche Lovell: Are you boys in the space program too?
Jack Swigert: So long, Earth. Catch you on the flip side.
Jim Lovell: Houston, we have a problem.
Answer: Spacecraft re-enter Earth's atmosphere at extremely high velocity (thousands of miles per hour). Atmospheric friction slows the spacecraft descent somewhat; but, without parachutes, the Apollo spacecraft would still reach the surface traveling at hundreds of miles per hour. Landing in water at such high speed would be like hitting concrete, which would of course be instantly fatal. Hence the necessity of multiple parachutes. The Apollo program (and all early U.S. manned space programs) chose to land in the ocean for two reasons: 1) It was easier to track spacecraft re-entry from horizon-to-horizon at sea without visual and radar obstacles, and; 2) It was faster and easier to position several Navy vessels in the general splashdown location, then deploy helicopters to rapidly retrieve the astronauts and their spacecraft.
Charles Austin Miller