Apollo 13

[Jim Eshelman]

The technical problems, near tragedy, and world absorption in the Apollo 13 mission are legendary (thanks even more to Ron Howard and Tom Hanks), but I've never studied it as an event.

We are, of course, limited regarding location. We can't study charts for exactly where the space ship crisis occurred. Selenocentric coordinates or mid-body coordinates aren't too different, but perhaps we can't look at it so much as an event where it occurred as an event (1) in Houston, where this was very much an event (!), (2) for the U.S. via Washington as a location, (3) as it affected the world as a whole, and (4) how it affected individual charts such as Capt. Jim Lovell. Here are some timings:

• Launch April 11, 1970, 2:13:00 PM EST, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL
• At 55:54:53 into the mission (April 13, 10:07:53 PM EST, 210,000 from Earth), routine oxygen stirring ignited "a pretty big bang"
• Successful splashdown April 17, 1:07:44 PM EST, 21S38'24" 165W21'42".

[Jim Eshelman]

Launch April 11, 1970, 2:13:00 PM EST, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL

The flight took off on schedule under mixed astrological conditions, leaning difficult. The most angular planet was Mars 5° off MC; however, space flights (being both military and dangerous) often had strong Mars involvement (also the appearance of a ferociously fiery phallic symbol shooting into space), so this might not have been an alarm if seen. Venus and Saturn were also widely foreground, precisely conjoined. The closest aspect was a 0°04' Mercury-Saturn conjunction, though next closest was a 0°57' Mercury-Venus conjunction. Moon trine Jupiter 1°29' softened. It was a crazy mix of indicators.

At 55:54:53 into the mission (April 13, 9:07:53 PM CST, 210,000 from Earth), routine oxygen stirring ignited "a pretty big bang"

Despite the still-exact (within 0°06' mundo Mercury-Venus conjunction), Mars was 2° from Descendant opposite Neptune 5° below Ascendant. I suspect there was panic in the control room.

This occurred half a day before the Arisolar and a few hours after a Canlunar. I'll check all these charts when done with more basic things.

I checked a heliocentric chart (just curious) and found nothing of note other than the widening Mercury-Saturn square (2°36') and Earth half a day from entering Libra. There was a slow Saturn-Pluto sesqui-square (0°12'). The aspects were much clearer geocentrically (the ship was still in the envelope of the Earth-Moon dual planet system) with the triple Mercury-Venus-Sturn conjunction, Mars opposite Neptune and trine Pluto, and, yes, the Saturn-Pluto octile (0°37').

Successful splashdown April 17, 1:07:44 PM EST, 21S38'24" 165W21'42".

In Houston, Sun neared MC but, most exactingly, Jupiter precisely crossed Nadir as they confirmed the ship and passengers were still alive. (Sun and Jupiter were 5° from opposition, the only foreground aspect.) Mars kept getting closer to oppose Neptune that week and was within 1°04', but was middleground. Mercury remaining in partile conjunction with Venus.

At the splashdown site, things looked rougher - and, sure, on hitting the water that didn't mean it wasn't difficult getting saved. Saturn was a little over a degree below Ascendant and 0°36' from EP.

[Jim Eshelman]

April 13, 9:07:53 PM CST, Space Center Houston 29N33'07" 95W05'54"

Year: Capsolar {+2}
Pluto on N 0°36'
-- Pluto sq non-fore Sun 0°47' M, Mercury 2°10' M, Venus 2°28' M; co NF Uranus 0°22' M
Moon-Saturn co 3°41'

Bridge {+3}
t Pluto sq Capsolar Asc 1/14-5/22
t Neptune sq CanQ Moon 3/22-4/30
CapQ Moon co s/p Saturn 3/30-5/26
t Jupiter op CapQ Moon 4/7-22
Event window: Apr 4-22

Quarter: New Arisolar {+3}
(The Arisolar occurred half a day later. It isn't about the equipment failure crisis, but covered most of the time of the heroic, innovative rescue efforts. Here is that chart: Again, notice the stunningly precise and fitting PVPs, easy to see in this case because they're all azimuth aspects.)
Pluto on IC 1°12'
Uranus more widely foreground
-- Mars-Neptune op 0°01' PVP
-- Neptune-Pluto sq 0°31' PVP
-- Mars-Pluto sq 0°32' PVP
-- Uranus-Pluto co 3°41' M
Moon-Sun sq 0°49'

Month: Caplunar {+3}
(This astounding chart catches all major plot-points of the mission: Mercury-Pluto exactly angular, the strong leadership and command of Sun, eruptive surprises of Sun-Uranus, and Moon aspecting both Venus and Mars [but Venus closer]. And then the PVP aspects (now that I know how to calculate precision PVP aspects)! Mercury-Uranus is the single most common aspect for aircraft disasters and here is only 0°01' wide!)
Pluto on Dsc 0°17'
Mercury on Asc 0°51'
Sun on EP 0°43'
Venus, Uranus more widely angular
-- Mercury-Uranus sq 0°01'
-- Sun-Pluto sq 0°05' PVP
-- Uranus-Pluto sq 0°13' PVP
-- Mercury-Pluto op 0°34' M [0°13' PVP]
-- Sun-Uranus op 1°42' M [0°17' PVP]
-- Sun-Mercury sq 0°18' PVP
-- Ve/Ur on angle 0°11'
Moon-Venus sq 2°06'
Moon-Mars sq 2°23' M

NB: Eris on EP 0°57' aspecting Sun, Jupiter, Saturn

Week: Canlunar {+1}
(MOON symbolism!?! - Also, might deserve higher score for the ingenuity and inventiveness suddenly called into play.)
Moon on Asc 1°30'
Sun on Z 0°52'
Uranus widely foreground
-- Su/Ur on angle 0°05'
Moon-Sun sq 0°57'

Day: Capsolar Quotidian & Transits {+2 at least}
p Moon-Saturn co 0°30'
t Jupiter op p Moon 0°22'
-------------------------------
t Pluto sq s Asc 1°23'
t Moon sq s Moon 0°27'
NB - Interestingly, Caput Draconis was 14' from Houston Capsolar MC, though of unclear meaning.

Day: Cansolar Quotidian {+2 at least}
t Neptune sq p Moon 0°04'
p Asc op t Saturn 0°01', s Saturn 1°49'
p MC sq t Venus 0°12', t Mercury 0°40'
-- t Mercury-Venus co 0°28'

[Jim Eshelman]

April 13, 10:07:53 PM CST, Washington, DC

Year: Capsolar (Dormant.) Moon-Saturn

Year: Cansolar {?}
(Worthy of a point only in the sense that the event engaged mass-mind in a concentrated, powerful way,)
Moon on Dsc 2°15'
Venus more widely foreground

Bridge {+3}
t Neptune sq CanQ Moon 3/22-4/30
CapQ Moon co s/p Saturn 3/30-5/26
t Jupiter op CapQ Moon 4/7-22
Event window: Apr 4-22[/color]

Quarter: Libsolar {+2}
Pluto on WP 0°31'
Mercury, Venus, and Uranus more widely foreground
-- Mercury-Uranus co 1°06'
-- Venus-Uranus co 1°46' M
-- Pluto co non-foreground Sun 0°27' M, Jupiter 1°52' M
Moon-Jupiter sq 0°08'
Moon-Mars co 0°37'
Moon-Venus co 3°25' M

Month: Caplunar {+3}
(Again, the PVP aspects rescue this from being "Oh, I guess it's OK enough" to making it smashingly exact.)
Mars on Asc 0°06'
Venus on EP 1°38'
Jupiter on WP-a 1°47'
Saturn on Asc 2°54'
Moon more widely foreground
-- Mars-Saturn co 2°48' M [0°37' PVP]
-- Mercury-Mars sq 0°41' PVP
-- Moon-Jupiter sq 0°43' M
-- Mercury-Saturn sq PVP 1°18'
-- Moon-Venus sq 2°06'
-- Jupiter-Saturn op 2°55' M
-- Venus op non-foreground Pluto 0°47' M

Week: Canlunar {+1}
(Not bad. A mix. Shows the eventual outcome [same week] better than the initial incident and sort of mixes them all. Not crazy about this chart.)
Venus on Z 0°26'
Mercury on Z 0°57'
Jupiter on IC 1°07'
Saturn widely foreground
-- Mercury-Venus co 0°31'
-- Mercury-Saturn co 0°38' M
-- Venus-Saturn co 2°12' M
Moon-Sun sq 0°57'

Day: Capsolar Quotidian & Transits {+2 at least}
p Moon-Saturn co 0°30'
t Jupiter op p Moon 0°22'
p MC sq s Pluto 1°17'
-------------------------------
t Moon sq s Moon 0°27'

Day: Cansolar Quotidian {+3}
t Neptune sq p Moon 0°04'
p MC co p Moon 1°22', sq t Neptune 1°26', sq s Mars 0°22'

[Jim Eshelman]

April 17, 18:07:44 UT, 21S38'24" 165W21'42"

Year: Capsolar (Dormant.) Moon-Saturn.
Year: Cansolar (Dormant.) Moon-Mars.

Bridge {+3}
CapQ Moon co s/p Saturn 3/30-5/26
t Neptune sq CanQ Moon 4/2-5/9
t Jupiter op CapQ Moon 4/7-22
t Mars sq CanQ Moon 4/17-20
Event window: Apr 17-20

Quarter: Arisolar {+1}
Sun on EP-a 1°19'

Month: Caplunar {+2}
(Wow! Jupiter on MC for almost the exact square mile in the ocean where they landed! - And a mundane Moon aspect saying it would be a Mercury event. I don;'t know what the Jupiter-Neptune aspect means.)
Jupiter on MC 0°06'
Venus and Saturn more widely angular
-- Jupiter-Neptune sq 2°31' PVP
Moon-Mercury sq 0°49' M
Moon-Venus sq 2°06'

Week: Canlunar {+1 or +2}
(And Jupiter again!)
Jupiter on Dsc 1°33'
Moon, Sun, and Saturn more widely angular
-- Moon-Sun sq 0°57'
-- Su/Sa on angle 0°56'
-- Saturn co non-foreground Mercury 2°31', Venus 3°02'

Day: Capsolar Quotidian & Transits {+3}
t Jupiter op p Moon 0°15'
p Moon-Saturn co 0°22'
p Asc sq t Pluto 0°51', s Mars 1°48'
----------------------------
t Sun co s Moon 0°56'

Day: Cansolar Quotidian {+2 at least}
t Neptune sq p Moon 0°14'
t Mars sq s Moon 0°40'
-- t Mars-Neptune op 0°54'
p MC op s Neptune 0°26'