When the mission control guy is explaining how they're going to sling shot around the moon, the pictures on the chalkboard change. See more...
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Directed by Ron Howard, starring Bill Paxton, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, Tom Hanks (add more)
The Apollo 13 mission set a record for the greatest distance from Earth ever achieved by mankind. This occurred because unlike the other Apollos, Apollo 13 did not make a burn behind the moon to drop into lunar orbit. The free-return trajectory the mission followed took the spacecraft farther behind the moon than any other mission.
The Captain of the Iwo-Jima that Tom Hanks is talking to at the end of the movie is the real Jim Lovell.
Ron Howard's mother and father have cameos in the film. Ron's father, Rance Howard, plays the priest who keeps a vigil with the family, and his mother, Jean, plays Jim Lovell's mother.
The exchange between Lovell and his wife about holidays ("you know that Easter vacation? There's been a change of destination ... how about the moon?") in fact took place in 1968, when Lovell was assigned to Apollo 8 and so missed his planned Christmas vacation.
In an interview, Ron Howard revealed that, after a test screening, he was concerned about an audience reaction card that rated the film as "terrible" until he read a comment on the card dismissing the ending as "more Hollywood b*llsh*t", saying that had it happened in real life, the astronauts "would never have survived".
Ron Howard's brother Clint is cast in this movie. He plays the flight controller responsible for keeping check on computations.
Marilyn Lovell did lose her wedding ring in the shower before hubby had his "problem." Check the audio commentary on the dvd. It wasn't added to the movie for dramatic effect.
Ron Howard's wife appears as one of the nuns in the VIP crowd for the launch.
Thomas K. Mattingly (played by Gary Sinise), is bald (as opposed to Gary's full head of hair), and about 8 inches taller than the actor. Adm. Mattingly also speaks with a Texas accent.
When Bill Paxton vomits they used Beef-a-Roni stew for the vomit. Since they only had to use a spoonful for each take, they had half a can left at the end of the day. After losing a bet with Tom Hanks, Bill had to then eat the rest of the can. Bill Paxton confirmed this personally at an autograph signing.
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