--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When 'Apollo 13' appeared as an…" description: "\"When 'Apollo 13' appeared as an opportunity and I began to tackle that in as authentic a way as I possibly could, I really became enthralled by the phi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f77/ron-howard-7692_apollo_when-apollo-13-appeared-as-an-opportunit_1083254.jpg" --- # When 'Apollo 13' appeared as an opportunity and I began to… ![“When 'Apollo 13' appeared as an opportunity and I began to tackle that in as authentic a way as I possibly could, I really became enthralled by the philosophical side of space travel and why we need to explore - what it means to us here on Earth - all of those things. I became a huge proponent.” quote by Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f77/ron-howard-7692_apollo_when-apollo-13-appeared-as-an-opportunit_1083254.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f77/ron-howard-7692_apollo_when-apollo-13-appeared-as-an-opportunit_1083254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f77/ron-howard-7692_apollo_when-apollo-13-appeared-as-an-opportunit_1083254.jpg) > “When 'Apollo 13' appeared as an opportunity and I began to tackle that in as authentic a way as I possibly could, I really became enthralled by the philosophical side of space travel and why we need to explore - what it means to us here on Earth - all of those things. I became a huge proponent.” [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes how the Apollo 13 mission sparked his fascination with space exploration and its deeper meaning for humanity. **In simple terms:** Apollo 13 inspired his philosophical interest in space travel. Key Takeaway Explore how space reflects human purpose. Themes exploration philosophy space humanity inspiration Mood enthusiastic thoughtful inspired Type cultural philosophical When to use this quote - space education - STEM outreach - film projects - public talks Key Concepts astronomy existentialism technology storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What does space exploration say about our values? - How can we balance curiosity with responsibility? A Different Perspective Space exploration also raises ethical and environmental concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apollo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apollo/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Enthralled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthralled/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Philosophical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-travel/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [The great thing about space films generally, with the exception of Apollo 13, is that big stars tend not to work in space and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/the-great-thing-about-space-films-generally-with-the-exception-of/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [Apollo 13 taught me that challenges are to be met and overcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-swigert/apollo-13-taught-me-that-challenges-are-to-be-met-and-overcome/) [Jack Swigert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-swigert/) > [Apollo 13, as you may remember, gave us a reactor that is bubbling away right now somewhere in the Pacific. It's supposed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-brower/apollo-13-as-you-may-remember-gave-us-a-reactor-that-is-bubbling-away/) [David R. Brower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-brower/) > [My biggest emotion on Apollo 13 after the oxygen tank explosion was disappointment that we had lost the landing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-haise/my-biggest-emotion-on-apollo-13-after-the-oxygen-tank-explosion-was/) [Fred Haise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-haise/) > [At this point in my career, Apollo 13 is a million light years away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-quinlan/at-this-point-in-my-career-apollo-13-is-a-million-light-years-away/) [Kathleen Quinlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-quinlan/) > [I wouldn't trade my career with anybody's. I'd trade a few movies with Tom Hanks - 'Apollo 13 and 'Forrest Gump' - but other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-travolta/i-wouldn-t-trade-my-career-with-anybody-s-i-d-trade-a-few-movies-with/) [John Travolta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-travolta/) > [“I was impressed by the scene in Apollo 13 where the astronauts request confirmation of their calculations and several people at Mission Control dive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-roberts/i-was-impressed-by-the-scene-in-apollo-13-where-the-astronauts/) Matt Roberts > [I got the idea for Netflix after my company was acquired. I had a big late fee for Apollo 13. It was six weeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/i-got-the-idea-for-netflix-after-my-company-was-acquired-i-had-a-big/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) > [“Whatever the reason we first mustered the \_Apollo\_ program, however mired it was in Cold War nationalism and the instruments of death, the inescapable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/whatever-the-reason-we-first-mustered-the-apollo-program-however/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Growing up in the '60s and early '70s, with the space flight and the Apollo program, I always loved planes. I always loved rockets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/growing-up-in-the-60s-and-early-70s-with-the-space-flight-and-the/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [For some time, I thought Apollo 13 was a failure. I was disappointed I didn't get to land on the moon. But actually, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lovell/for-some-time-i-thought-apollo-13-was-a-failure-i-was-disappointed-i/) [Jim Lovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lovell/) > [Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me... aren't you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/mrs-robinson-you-re-trying-to-seduce-me-aren-t-you/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) > [“Think back to the Apollo 13 story. The astronauts and engineers had spent years planning for the launch. They had built a core team…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/think-back-to-the-apollo-13-story-the-astronauts-and-engineers-had/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It does make it very clear, you know, what can happen if you do have... the right people, the right skill mix, that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-haise/it-does-make-it-very-clear-you-know-what-can-happen-if-you-do-have/) [Fred Haise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-haise/) > [Of course, I was completely enthralled by the space program as a kid - particularly Apollo 11 - and was glued to the television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/of-course-i-was-completely-enthralled-by-the-space-program-as-a-kid/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) ## More by Ron Howard > [I think it's in our nature to try to get beyond that next horizon. I think that when we as a species are scratching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/i-think-it-s-in-our-nature-to-try-to-get-beyond-that-next-horizon-i/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [The hardest thing which I've experienced is calling up my father, Rance Howard, who's a wonderful actor, and telling him I've had to cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/the-hardest-thing-which-i-ve-experienced-is-calling-up-my-father/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [Instead of candidates hiring people, like yours truly, to create campaign media that works on both conscious and subconscious levels to sway the voting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/instead-of-candidates-hiring-people-like-yours-truly-to-create/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [One of the great things about being a director as a life choice is that it can never be mastered. Every story is its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/one-of-the-great-things-about-being-a-director-as-a-life-choice-is/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [I don't believe in perfection, but those acrimony-free gaps during our family holidays can be downright blissful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/i-don-t-believe-in-perfection-but-those-acrimony-free-gaps-during-our/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [Of course, I was completely enthralled by the space program as a kid - particularly Apollo 11 - and was glued to the television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/of-course-i-was-completely-enthralled-by-the-space-program-as-a-kid/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [I think more and more scientists are becoming convinced that it's very likely that life forms of some kind exist all around the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/i-think-more-and-more-scientists-are-becoming-convinced-that-it-s/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [Sports always works for us more allegorically or metaphorically and that's what's fantastic about why we love them. You demonstrate the limits to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/sports-always-works-for-us-more-allegorically-or-metaphorically-and/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [I love leaving the door open to good ideas. I love the collaborative swirl. I get charged by problem-solving, usually under some kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/i-love-leaving-the-door-open-to-good-ideas-i-love-the-collaborative/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [There's a very real argument that the minute we are capable of going to a planet, whether it's Mars or another one, and inhabiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/there-s-a-very-real-argument-that-the-minute-we-are-capable-of-going/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [I believe in the imperative to explore, so any project that I can be involved with that celebrates that, and expands people's imagination around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/i-believe-in-the-imperative-to-explore-so-any-project-that-i-can-be/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [Humor is unavoidable. It might not feel funny in the moment, but more often than not there's a light at the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/humor-is-unavoidable-it-might-not-feel-funny-in-the-moment-but-more/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [A scene, a day of shooting, can often make you feel kind of stupid and inept because your one job is to anticipate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/a-scene-a-day-of-shooting-can-often-make-you-feel-kind-of-stupid-and/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [I didn't really listen to music when I was doing homework or when I - when I work on a script. I tend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/i-didn-t-really-listen-to-music-when-i-was-doing-homework-or-when-i/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [I have the career that I want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/i-have-the-career-that-i-want/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) [Explore all 88 Ron Howard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) ## More Apollo quotes > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Kennedy had made a mess in Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. He had to do something to look good. The Apollo program of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-schirra/kennedy-had-made-a-mess-in-cuba-at-the-bay-of-pigs-he-had-to-do/) [Wally Schirra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-schirra/) > [Apollo?” I guessed… He put a finger to his lips. “I’m incognito. Call me Fred.” A god named Fred?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/apollo-i-guessed-he-put-a-finger-to-his-lips-i-m-incognito-call-me/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-a-former-apollo-astronaut-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-spacex-and/) [Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/) > [I think if you were between maybe 6 and 16, there was nothing like Apollo, and I wonder if there can be something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/i-think-if-you-were-between-maybe-6-and-16-there-was-nothing-like/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [Apollo was a big, unwieldy vehicle. I had a problem with the flight controllers over that. It would try to fare its way like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-schirra/apollo-was-a-big-unwieldy-vehicle-i-had-a-problem-with-the-flight/) [Wally Schirra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-schirra/) > [I used to be a street performer, and performances on Venice Beach, it's like playing the Apollo: They let you know if they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa/i-used-to-be-a-street-performer-and-performances-on-venice-beach-it-s/) [Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa/) > [I owe much of my success to Seann Walsh. He kept recommending me for Live At The Apollo until eventually the producers offered me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/i-owe-much-of-my-success-to-seann-walsh-he-kept-recommending-me-for/) [Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/) > [A typical smart phone has more computing power than Apollo 11 when it landed a man on the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/a-typical-smart-phone-has-more-computing-power-than-apollo-11-when-it/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [Armstrong, sitting in the commander's seat, spacesuit on, helmet on, plugged into electrical and environmental umbilical's, is a man who is not only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/armstrong-sitting-in-the-commander-s-seat-spacesuit-on-helmet-on/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Have any of you taken a look out at Greece in the last, say, hour or so? (Hermes) What? Are they reacting to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/have-any-of-you-taken-a-look-out-at-greece-in-the-last-say-hour-or-so/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“I couldn’t say I was surprised that Apollo hadn’t given me a lot to work on. The jerk was known for delivering little to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/i-couldn-t-say-i-was-surprised-that-apollo-hadn-t-given-me-a-lot-to/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [“As additional precautions, Kranz requested that a two-hundred-foot radio antenna (called a deep-space dish) in Australia be added to the global network tracking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-s-f-cooper-jr/as-additional-precautions-kranz-requested-that-a-two-hundred-foot/) Henry S.F. Cooper Jr > [“He saw her eyes bright as stars; he saw her lips, and was not satisfied with only seeing them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-saw-her-eyes-bright-as-stars-he-saw-her-lips-and-was-not-satisfied/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Among the gods, there is a dispute as to which one of them originally thought of Christianity; or, as they call it, the Great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holt/among-the-gods-there-is-a-dispute-as-to-which-one-of-them-originally/) [Tom Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holt/) [Browse all 382 Apollo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apollo/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When 'Apollo 13' appeared as an opportunity and I began to tackle that in as authentic a way as I possibly could, I really became enthralled by the philosophical side of space travel and why we need to explore - what it means to us here on Earth - all of those things. 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