40 Behind-the-Scenes Photos from Apollo 13 That’ll Make You Appreciate Just How Hard It Is to Fake Space

John Summers • Contributor

Jul 21, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

Before Gravity floated Sandra Bullock through an emotional breakdown and before Interstellar gave us science lectures in IMAX, there was Apollo 13 - the 1995 docudrama that proved you could make a nail-biting thriller even when everyone already knows the ending.

Directed by Ron Howard and starring the ultimate 90s dream team (Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris - I mean, come on), the film tells the true story of NASA's most famously disastrous success. You know the one - explosion mid-mission, lunar landing canceled, three astronauts floating in a tin can hoping Houston can work some math magic to get them home.

But here's the kicker: to make all that space stuff feel real, Ron Howard decided they weren't just going to use wires or floaty camera tricks. No. They were going to shoot actual scenes in actual zero gravity using NASA's infamous KC-135 "Vomit Comet." Which is exactly as fun as it sounds - a Boeing 707 that climbs to 30,000 feet and then drops like your stomach on a rollercoaster.

As Kevin Bacon put it: "You don't have to go. But Tom's going. Gary's going. Bill's going…" Translation: get in, loser, we're defying gravity.

These 40 behind-the-scenes photos are pure movie magic - sweaty astronauts, cramped sets, floating actors, and a level of commitment that'll make you dizzy just looking at them.

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