13 MORE Things That Saved Apollo 13, part 13: Jim Lovell's 90 Degree Wrong Turn

By Nancy Atkinson May 7, 2015

Lovell: We're having trouble maneuvering, Joe, without getting it in gimbal lock… You picked a lousy attitude, though, to separate. Capcom: Well, we apologize. Just take your time. Jim, we've got time now. Lovell continued to struggle as the ship continually approached gimbal lock and he questioned the procedure: Lovell: Houston, why can’t I stay in PGNS ATT HOLD for the LM attitude hold? Capcom: Stand by on that, Jim. Lovell: I want to get way over here, Joe, to prevent going into gimbal lock. I have the yaw at about - I'd say about almost 50 degrees. Capcom: Roger that. Just stay out of gimbal lock and that 45-degree isn't critical - the out of plane, that is.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com