In Apollo 13, what sentence does Jim Lovell radio to Mission Control after the spacecraft suffers an explosion?

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In Apollo 13, Jim Lovell radios, “Houston, we have a problem,” after an onboard oxygen-tank explosion threatens the mission.

The 1995 film dramatizes NASA’s Apollo 13 mission, which launched on April 11, 1970. In the real mission, Lovell reported, “Houston, we’ve had a problem here,” a wording that the film shortened and popularized.

The damaged service module caused a major loss of electrical power and oxygen. The astronauts moved into the lunar module, using it as a lifeboat while flight controllers in Houston developed a safe return plan.

Ron Howard directed the film, and Tom Hanks portrayed Lovell. The movie won two Academy Awards and helped make the altered quotation a standard phrase for reporting serious trouble.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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