A still from the film Apollo 13 (courtesy tomhanks)
Highlights
- Tom Hanks starred in 1995 film 'Apollo 13'
- He shared a film still as a tribute to the mission
- April 11 marked the 50th anniversary of the aborted mission
Actor Tom Hanks, who featured in the 1995 film Apollo 13, a documentary-drama based on NASA's Apollo 13 mission to the moon in 1970, paid tribute to the astronauts of the lunar mission. April 11 marked the 50th anniversary of the aborted mission. Tom Hanks, who starred as astronaut Jim Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13, shared a black and white still from the docu-drama, in which he and his co-stars can be seen exiting the space craft after landing back on Earth. Apollo 13, which was NASA's third mission attempting to land on the moon, was aborted following complications in the space craft. Joining Jim Lovell on the mission were astronauts Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, whose characters were played by Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton, respectively in the Apollo 13 movie. It was directed by Ron Howard and opened to much critical acclaim.
Remembering the team behind Apollo 13 and their efforts, Tom Hanks wrote: "50 years ago. 1. Send men to the moon. 2. Return them safely to the Earth. Not easy. Apollo 13. Hanx." Take a look at Tom Hanks' post here:
NASA responded to Tom Hanks tweet with a dialogue from the film, originally spoken by Flight Director Gene Kranz (played by Ed Harris in the movie): "And as we learned from Flight Director Gene Kranz, failure was not an option."
Here's a better look at Tom Hanks and his co-stars from Apollo 13 in a throwback tweet by NASA history.
Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson recently returned to the US after being quarantined in Australia for testing coronavirus positive. The actor, who continues to self quarantine, recently made an appearance on Saturday Night Live, and joked that he has been in pyjamas since he was diagnosed with COVID-19.