Houston, we have a problem

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This article is about the phrase. For the 1974 television film, see Houston, We've Got a Problem. For the 2016 docufiction film, see Houston, We Have a Problem! (film).

"Houston, we have a problem"
Origin/etymologyApollo 13 (mission)
Original form"Okay, Houston ... we've had a problem here"[1]
Coined byJack Swigert (April 14, 1970)
Houston, we've had a problem.
Swigert and Lovell reporting the incident on April 13, 1970 (2:59)
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"Houston, we have a problem" is popularly quoted as a phrase spoken during

capsule communicator at Mission Control, Jim Lovell, the mission commander, responded: "Ah, Houston, we've had a problem."[1]

The 1995 film Apollo 13 used the slight misquotation "Houston, we have a problem", which had become the popularly expected phrase, in its dramatization of the mission.[1] The phrase has been informally used to describe the emergence of an unforeseen problem, often with a sense of ironic understatement.[3][4]

Background

Further information: Apollo 13 § Accident

The Apollo 13 Flight Journal lists the timestamps and dialogue between the astronauts and Mission Control.[1]

055:55:19 Swigert: Okay, Houston ...

055:55:19 Lovell: ... Houston...

055:55:20 Swigert: ... we've had a problem here. [Pause.]

055:55:28 Lousma: This is Houston. Say again, please.

055:55:35 Lovell: [Garble.] Ah, Houston, we've had a problem. We've had a Main B Bus Undervolt.

In Chapter 13 of Apollo Expeditions to the Moon (1975), Jim Lovell recalls the event: "Jack Swigert saw a warning light that accompanied the bang, and said, 'Houston, we've had a problem here.' I came on and told the ground that it was a main B bus undervolt. The time was 21:08 hours on April 13."[5]

In media

In the 1995 film

suspense movie. Movie viewers knew what had happened, while Mission Control did not at the time.[6] The quote ranked at No. 50 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movie Quotes in June 2005.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Woods, W. David; Kemppanen, Johannes; Turhanov, Alexander; Waugh, Lennox J. (eds.). "Day 3, part 2: 'Houston, we've had a problem'". Apollo 13 Flight Journal. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  2. LCCN 75600071. SP-350. Archived
    from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  3. ^ "¿Por qué la frase: Houston, tenemos un problema?" [Why the phrase: Houston, we have a problem?]. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  4. ^ ""Houston, tenemos un problema" – Jack Swigert" ["Houston, we have a problem" – Jack Swigert] (in Spanish). Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Lovell, James A. (January 1975). "Apollo Expeditions to the Moon: Chapter 13". Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  6. ^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (April 13, 2017). "'Houston, we have a problem': The amazing history of the iconic Apollo 13 misquote". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  7. ^ "100 Greatest Quotes in Movies". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2020.

Bibliography

External links

Look up Houston, we have a problem in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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