Maps of Movies

Apollo 13 (1995)

Where Apollo 13 says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

The Houston control room and the stricken spacecraft were built on a Los Angeles studio lot; no filming in Texas is confirmed

Scenes and places

The moon-landing party at the Lovell house

Lovell throws a party for neighbors and fellow astronauts to watch Armstrong step onto the Moon. Afterward he tells his wife Marilyn that he will go back and walk on the surface himself.

Set in Jim Lovell's home, Houston — Lovell hosts a party where guests watch Armstrong's televised first steps on the Moon.

The scene is set in Houston; no filming location for it is given in the sources.

The VIP tour inside the Vehicle Assembly Building

Lovell shows visitors the Saturn V stack and fields questions about why the country should keep funding the Moon program. Then Slayton pulls him aside: Lovell's crew now flies Apollo 13, with the Moon landing coming sooner than planned.

Set in Vehicle Assembly Building, Kennedy Space Center — Lovell guides VIPs through the huge hangar where Saturn V rockets are stacked. His boss Deke Slayton tells him his crew will fly Apollo 13 instead of 14. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center is where Saturn V rockets were stacked.

Filmed at Vehicle Assembly Building, Kennedy Space Center (Florida, Merritt Island, United States) — The real VAB served as the backdrop for the VIP-tour scene. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Launch day at Kennedy Space Center

Marilyn, shaken by a nightmare, has said she won't watch her husband leave for the fourth time. She changes her mind and shows up at Kennedy Space Center to see him off before the Saturn V lifts him toward the Moon.

Set in Kennedy Space Center, Florida — On launch day Marilyn, who had said she would not come, surprises Lovell and sees him off. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Kennedy Space Center is the NASA launch site on Florida's Merritt Island.

Filmed at Kennedy Space Center (Florida, Merritt Island, United States) — Filming at the center took place in December 1994; the launch shot itself uses miniatures and computer graphics. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Mission Control in Houston

Kranz polls his controllers and gives the go for launch, then keeps the room running when problems start. From here the film cuts between the capsule and the consoles on the ground.

Set in Mission Control Center, Johnson Space Center, Houston — Flight director Gene Kranz leads a team of flight controllers who follow the crew's every move from consoles in Houston. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The real Mission Control consisted of two control rooms on the second and third floors of Building 30.

Filmed at Universal Studios Lot, Universal City, California (Universal Studios Lot, Universal City, United States) — NASA offered the real control room, but director Ron Howard declined and had a replica built on the lot. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Inside Odyssey and the Aquarius lifeboat

An electrical short blows an oxygen tank and the three men crowd into the cold Lunar Module. As water and power ration out and tempers flare, Lovell keeps the crew pointed at getting home.

Set in Command Module Odyssey and Lunar Module Aquarius (in flight) — After the oxygen tank blows, the crew moves into the Lunar Module, which becomes a lifeboat while Odyssey is shut down.

The spacecraft interiors were built by the Kansas Cosmosphere's Space Works, which also restored the real Apollo 13 Command Module.

Filmed at Universal Studios Lot, Universal City, California (Universal Studios Lot, Universal City, United States) — The spacecraft interiors were full-size replicas built for the Universal lot soundstages, plus modified modules for a reduced-gravity aircraft. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Passing behind the Moon

Lovell watches the Moon go by, close enough to touch and out of reach. He accepts the loss and turns the crew's attention to getting home.

Set in Near the far side of the Moon — The crew watches the lunar surface pass beneath them while heading back toward Earth.

Space scenes were created with sets and computer effects.

Filmed at Universal Studios Lot, Universal City, California (Universal Studios Lot, Universal City, United States) — Space scenes use the same sets and effects; no separate Earth location is cited. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The Pacific splashdown

After re-entry, radio silence stretches far longer than normal and Mission Control and the world wait to hear from the capsule.

Set in Pacific Ocean, near the recovery area — The world waits for the capsule to come down in the Pacific.

For the film, a real parachute with a prop capsule was dropped from a helicopter.

Filmed at Artificial lake, Universal Studios Lot (Universal Studios Lot, Universal City, United States) — The splashdown sequence was shot on a large artificial lake on the Universal lot; the exact spot is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The recovery ship deck

The story closes aboard the recovery ship, where the crew is welcomed.

Set in USS Iwo Jima, Pacific Ocean — Helicopters bring the crew aboard the recovery ship for a hero's welcome.

USS New Orleans portrayed the decommissioned USS Iwo Jima.

Characters

• Jim Lovell — Veteran astronaut who commands Apollo 13 and wants to walk on the Moon.
• Marilyn Lovell — Lovell's wife, who fears a fourth launch.
• Jack Swigert — Backup command module pilot who joins the crew days before launch.
• Gene Kranz — Flight director at Mission Control in Houston.