<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586527733810.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>HUTCHINSON — In April 1970, the world held its breath as three 
American astronauts endured one of the most harrowing space missions of 
our time — the mission of Apollo 13. It began with the successful launch
 of the crew into space on April 11 and ended with their safe return on 
April 17. To commemorate the anniversary, the Cosmosphere is launching a
 week of virtual celebrating. The Apollo 13 spacecraft’s command 
module, Odyssey, is part of the Cosmosphere’s collection and will be the
 centerpiece of the celebration, which will begin with the launch of a 
webpage dedicated to Apollo 13 this Saturday, April 11. The webpage will
 go live at the same time the spacecraft launched 50 years ago — 2:13 
p.m. Eastern time; 1:13 p.m. Central time. The page can be found at <a href="https://cosmo.org/">www.cosmo.org</a>. “We
 are home to the command module and have a special place in the heart of
 our organization for the history of the Apollo 13 mission,” Jim Remar, 
Cosmosphere CEO, said. “On the Apollo 13 anniversary webpage, the public
 will have access to the facts, images, broadcasts and first-hand 
accounts about the mission all in one place. We want to make it easy to 
learn about this critical time in our nation’s history. Now is a good 
time to remember that we can overcome even the most difficult of 
circumstances.” The webpage will include a behind-the-scenes look
 at the restoration of the Odyssey, which was carried out by the 
Cosmosphere’s SpaceWorks division from 1995 to 1997. In addition to the 
webpage, the Cosmosphere is featuring daily posts on social media about 
the mission and a poster contest will be announced on Saturday as well. 
Prizes will be awarded for posters featuring the theme “Failure is Not 
an Option!” Coffee at the Cosmo — the free monthly lecture 
program offered every third Thursday at 9 a.m. at the Cosmosphere will 
be presented virtually this month. Remar will offer a live tour from the
 Odyssey exhibit at the Cosmosphere. Details will be available on the 
webpage. The virtual celebration is a substitute for the Apollo 
13 celebrations the Cosmosphere had planned before closing in response 
to the COVID-19 outbreak. A gala featuring the Apollo 13 astronauts and 
members of the mission control team was planned for April 4 in 
Hutchinson, but has been postponed to Nov. 14.

Cosmosphere to hold virtual celebration of Apollo 13