“Haise began his career in a military and aviation fashion”
with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean and many more. The preliminary duties in the Apollo program for Haise included being the backup Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 8 and Apollo 11. It wasn’t until 11 April 1970 rolled around that Haise finally had his moment. Along with commander Jim Lovell and Command Module pilot Jack Swigert, Haise and his crew left Earth with the intention to make another successful landing on the Moon, cementing the United States as the undeniable victors in the space race.
Two days after launch the lunar landing was aborted as an oxygen tank exploded; the primary focus shifted towards getting these astronauts back home safely. All of this was portrayed in the 1995 space docudrama film Apollo 13, with
Bill Paxton portraying Haise. With the odds against the trio, including limited power, loss of cabin heat, a shortage of potable water and the dire need of repairs to the carbon-dioxide-removal system, the crew returned back to Earth on 17 April 1970, deeming the mission a “successful failure”.
This performance earned Haise his commander stripes for Apollo
19, but that was never to happen as NASA focused its budget towards other matters, including the Space Shuttle program. Haise was very influential in the early stages of the Space Shuttle program and became technical assistant to the manager of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Program in 1973. He also participated in the approach and landing tests and piloted Space Shuttle Enterprise in three successful landings. These tests laid the foundations for the Space Shuttle program. In June
1979 Haise retired from NASA before taking on different projects. His accolades celebrate a fantastic career that benefitted a nation in a time of extraordinary feats in space exploration.