It was more than a little ironic that on the very night famed astronaut Captain James Lovell was being honored as a Local Legend, Lake Forest High School was kicking off its playoff football game against – none other than – Alan B. Shepard High School.

Shepard was one of the seven original NASA finalists, along with Lovell, who helped shape the history of the U.S. space program.

There was nothing ironic, however, about the pairing of two good friends and Lake Forest residents-- broadcaster Bill Kurtis and Lovell -- for a sincere discussion about the fated flight of Apollo 13; albeit with a crowd of hundreds of admirers listening in.

The sold-out event, somewhat akin to a fireside chat, drew a standing-room only crowd Oct. 30 to Lake Forest's Gorton Community Center and, based on the hundreds of calls to the Historical Society, was the hottest ticket in town.

The event was  the inaugural program of the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society Local Legends series,  which benefits the museum and its research archives.

Thomas Hunter, president of the Historical Society board of directors, delivered the opening remarks and board member John Ormsby introduced Kurtis and Lovell. The two local icons stepped out on the Community Center stage to thunderous applause, followed by rapt silence as the crowd absorbed every word spoken, broken only by short bursts of laughter evoked by the candid discussion.

Ill-Fated Mission a 'Triumph'

Kurtis delved into the very heart of the fated Apollo 13 flight as he recounted his visit to an Explorer's Club in New York that has a framed letter on the wall, along with a small American flag. The letter, Kurtis said, is from Lovell and it explains, "I promised to carry this flag to the moon, but something happened…"

"What happened is what some describe as NASA's [National Aeronautic and Space Administration] finest hour," declared Kurtis.

 "It was a triumph that a group of people could take a total catastrophe and work as a group to find a solution," Lovell said.

On Dec. 21, 1968, Lovell joined the elite group of men on the Apollo 8 mission to be, as he described it, "the first people to leave the confines of the Earth." 

Space Exploration Becomes Routine

By the time the Apollo 13 mission lifted off on April 11, 1970, space missions were very familiar to the American public and the flight was expected to be quite routine.  So routine, Lovell said, that the story on the launch was buried on page 97 of the New York Times. 

Kurtis asked Lovell, "At what point did you know something was wrong?"

Lovell said they were two days out from the planned moon landing and were just finishing up a television broadcast "that no one would watch," he quipped.  Mission Control asked them to perform a regular stir of the oxygen tanks.  "There was an explosion," Lovell recounted.  "Hiss. Bang! Fred Haise didn't know what was going on. Jack Swigert was thinking, 'Why am I here?'  As the commander, I was trying to figure out what happened."

Lovell said at first he thought it was a problem with the fuel cells, which would prevent a moon landing. "I thought, now we'll just have to circle around the moon and I've already done that. Then, I saw the oxygen escaping and I knew we were in trouble," he related.

Lovell clarified the origins of the famous phrase now forever attributed to him.  "We were coming out of the command module and Swigert broadcast to mission control, 'Hey Houston, we have a problem here.' Houston replied, 'Say again please.' Then I said, 'Houston, we have a problem,'" Lovell made clear.

"Now it (the phrase) stands for every problem anyone could possibly have," Kurtis added.

 "Was there a moment when you knew you would be OK?" Kurtis asked.

"When we hit the water and the space craft didn't sink," Lovell mused.

Future of Space Program Uncertain

Then, Kurtis' queries took a turn toward the future of the current space program.

The future of the U.S. space program, Lovell said, is uncertain. Lovell explained the Bush administration outlined a vision for space exploration to follow the conclusion of space shuttle missions. The program began but was never adequately funded. He said the Obama administration initiated its own approach to the space program, putting more money into the development of space technology. 

The Obama plan, Lovell explained, funds technology but outlines no mission; an approach that Lovell stated won't work. "You need a project. You can't develop technology with no mission in mind," he said.

Only two Space Shuttle missions remain. Then, Lovell said, the U.S. will have no access to the International Space Station, other than hitching a ride with the Russian space program, at a cost of $160 million.

"The future of U.S. space activity is restricted under the current program," Lovell lamented. "And it's a shame. I talk to so many people who have been very inspired by the space program."

Yet, Lovell encourages young people who are interested in aerospace to pursue their dreams. "Get a good education. Keep abreast of what's happening at NASA and don't hesitate to apply for the space program.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained," he says.

Local, Not-so-Local Attendees

The event drew interest from young and old, couples and families, locals and visitors.

Ten-year-old Joshua Weisskop, from Highland Park, attended with his dad and brother and said his takeaway from the presentation was, "Even though you might die, still never give up."

Lake Forest resident Barry Hollingsworth, who brought his 7-year-old son Dillon, said, "It felt like you were reliving the Apollo 13 experience." 

Perhaps Gurnee student Katrina Litke – a budding astronomer – summed up the event best: "I came away with an overall sense that anything is possible; that you really can be one of these local legends," she said.