Apollo 13
An original radio drama by
Tom Ostridge
Production Script
January 18th, 2019
Tom Ostridge
All rights reserved
Apollo 13
Cast
JACK SWIGERT – Command Module Pilot
FRED HAISE – Lunar Module Pilot
JIM LOVELL – Commander
JOURNALIST – Young Woman
NASA CONTROL ROOM - Middle aged man
SOUND PLAYING THROUGH RADIO AND FADES INTO SPEAKING
JOURNALIST: I am here at the launch site of Apollo 13 at
the Kennedy Space Centre. We are just seconds
away from the launch of the next Apollo
mission to the moon.
SOUND Clicking of button pressing
JIM: Engine Status?
Jack: Positive
JIM: Fuel Injection?
JACK: affirmative
JIM: Warning Systems?
JACK: affirmative
SOUND COUTDOWN GET LOUDER AS IT FADES IN
NASA CONTROL ROOM: 5
JIM: Disengaging tethers
SOUND Wires pinging noise
NASA CONTROL ROOM: 4
JIM: Detaching from walkway
SOUND Mechanical turning noise
NASA CONTROL ROOM: 3
JIM: We are set for lift-off
NASA CONTROL ROOM: 2
JIM: Engage primary thrusters
SOUND initiation of thrusters
NASA CONTROL ROOM: 1
SOUND The rumble of rocket engine getting
quitter as it gets further away, until we
hear JIM where it is then loud again
JIM: Huston, this is Commander Jim Lovell. We
have lift off. I Repeat, we have lift off.
JIM: We are climbing steady
SOUND Beep sound before each readout of altitude
JACK: 10,000 feet… 20,000 feet… 30,000 feet.
Fred: We are approaching the atmosphere.
Disengage booster rockets
SOUND Mid pitched clunk sound
JACK: Booster rockets have been dropped
Fred: Now the secondary boosters
SOUND Low pitched clunk sound
JACK: Secondary booster is disengaged
SOUND Silence to signify time has passed
Fred: Jack, offset the shuttle by 15 degrees
towards the moon.
Jack: Copy. Turning shuttle 15 degrees.
SOUND High pitched hissing
Jack: Right. We are on course now and it should
take us about 3 days to get there, so we
should all get some rest to pass the time.
Fred: Alright Jack. I’ll try not to wake you up.
Ha ha
SOUND CAN HEAR THE QUIET RUMBLE OF THE ENGINE,
THEN A FADE IN SOUND OF AN OBJECT HURTLING
TOWARDS THE ROCKET.
Sound A loud bang is heard and we can hear the
faint hissing sound of a gas leak. Alarm
noise which wakes them up
SOUND Rustle as you hear them get out of bed
JIM: Jack, what was that? [Sounding panicked]
JACK: I don’t know
SOUND Fred sounds distant (across the ship)
FRED: Jim, we appear to have gas leak in the
oxygen bay, and the levels are going down
fast. [Anxious]
JIM: Any other damages to the craft?
FRED: No. Seems like the rest of the ships
integrity is undamaged.
JIM: OK. Fred, how much oxygen do we have left
in the tanks?
FRED: We have about an hr until they run out.
SOUND Audio Noise as use radio
JIM: Ok. Huston, we have been hit by an unknown
object and it has damaged our oxygen
tanks… Huston... Do you read...?
JIM: {Frustrated] DAMN IT!... Right, Jack.
Change our course for the ISS. We will
dock there, sort out our oxygen supply and
regain communication with ground control
on sort out a route back home.
JACK: Yes sir. 1 minutes till docking
SOUND High pitched hissing
JIM: [On radio] This is Jim Lovell of the
Apollo 13 space craft requesting
permission to dock at the ISS, do you
copy? This is Jim Lovell of the Apollo 13
space craft requesting permission to dock
at the ISS. Do you copy?...
SOUND Static noise with radio silence
JIM: We are receiving no reply from the ISS.
Due to damage from the collision, our auto
docking system is damaged, and we are
going to have to perform a manual docking.
JACK: Sir, We are on final approach. 100m
FRED: Left
SOUND High pitched hissing
JACK: 80m
FRED: more left
SOUND High pitched hissing
JACK: 60m
FRED: Too far, too far. Move right
SOUND Low pitched hissing
JACK: 40m
FRED: A little left
SOUND High pitched hissing
JACK: 20m
FRED: Angle up 5 degrees
SOUND High and low pitched hissing
JACK: 10m
FRED: And go straight
SOUND Clunk of docking and hissing of connection
JACK: Were docked.
SOUND airlock door opening
JIM: Right, Let’s go. Jack you go to the supply
room to get new oxygen tanks. If there are
any problems use your radio. While Fred
and I will go to the control room to try
and regain communication with ground
control.
FRED AND JACK: OK
SOUND Footsteps of Jim and Fred walking and
Jacks footsteps going into the distant
JIM: Yes. Right, Fred, go over there and set
the communication frequency to 89.
SOUND Feedback noise as switching between
frequencies
FRED: 84, 86, 87, 89. [Says 89 more
distinctively]
JIM: Huston. Do you copy? Do you copy?
NASA CONTROL ROOM: We read you.
JIM: Fred, turn it down.
SOUND Feedback Noise
JIM: Slightly up. There
NASA CONTROL ROOM: What happened?
JIM: Our shuttle was hit by orbiting debris and
our oxygen supply was damaged. We are on
the ISS gaining supplies to repair the
communication system and to give us enough
oxygen to get back.
SOUND Radio feeback
JACK: JIM, ARE YOU THERE!
JIM: Jack? What’s wrong?
JIM: Fred, something is up with Jack we got to
go find him.
JIM: Jack? Jack? If you can hear us we are on
our way.
SOUND Sound of running footsteps
JACK: JIM! FRED!.
JIM: What is it? Have you got the supplies?
JACK: Yes, but there is…
SOUND Growling of alien
JIM: Run. RUN!
JIM: GET TO THE SHUTTLE!
FRED: DOWN HERE!
JIM: HURRY UP, GET IN!
SOUND Clicking of pressing buttons
JACK: Initiating Launch
SOUND Start up of rockets
JIM: It’s getting closer! Common!
JACK: Launch in 3
SOUND Beep at each number of countdown
SOUND Louder growling of alien
JIM: Common
JACK: 2
JIM: Hurry!
JACK: 1
SOUND High pitch airlock door closing
SOUND Rumble and louder high-pitched noise of
rocket
NASA CONTROL ROOM: Huston to Apollo 13 do you copy?
Huston to Apollo 13 do you copy?
SOUND Feedback with silence in background
