It ________________ ( be) 13 April 1970, two days after the launch of Apollo 13.

• was

• was being

• is

• are

Answer explanation

PS - Past Simple

PC - Past Continuous

BBC journalist Reg Turnill ________________ (PC; report) on the mission from the space centre in Houston.

Answer explanation

PS - Past Simple

PC - Past Continuous

He described the moment he ________________ (PS; realise) there was a problem with Apollo 13: ‘I ________________ (PS; look) into mission control just before going to bed.

I ________________ (go) through the door when I ________________ ( hear) Jim Lovell say, “Houston, we ...”.

Jim Lovell says, “Houston, we... ”.

• are in danger

• have a problem

• are happy and it's great!

• have to figure out how to solve this problem!

Instead of going to bed, the journalist ________________ (go) back to his desk and ________________ ( stay) there for the next three days.

Apollo 13’s commander Jim Lovell, together with his colleagues Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, ________________ out NASA’s third mission to the moon.

• was figuring

• was carrying

• figured

• carried

Lovell and Haise ________________ (PC; plan) to walk on the moon.

Answer explanation

PS - Past Simple

PC - Past Continuous

But this never ________________ (PS; happen).

Nearly two days into the flight, things ________________ (go) so smoothly that Joe Kerwin, on duty at mission control, ________________ ( tell) the crew, ‘The spacecraft is in real good shape (...). We’re bored to tears down here.

• went, told

• were going, was telling

• were going, told

• went, was telling