APOLLO 14
When Apollo 14 launched on 31 January 1971, it carried the weight of the entire Apollo programme. The Apollo 13 disaster had recaptured the public’s dwindling interest, but for all the wrong reasons. Policymakers already questioning Apollo’s high cost, having cancelled Apollo 18 and 19 in September 1970, now wondered at its safety. If the remaining missions were to fly, then Apollo 14 had to be a success.
It was a heavy responsibility, and one that rested on the most inexperienced crew of the whole Apollo programme. The Commander, Alan Shepard, was one of NASA’s most famous astronauts, having been the first American to reach space back in 1961. However, he’d spent the best part of
