Rob Webb, astronomy club adviser and gifted facilitator with the Pequea Valley School District, has met a few astronauts in his day, but he admits that the chance to talk to Fred Haise Jr. on Jan. 15 was one of the coolest experiences he has had. "It was really neat," said Webb. "(Haise) is one of the old-school American heroes."

Webb arranged a Zoom interview with Haise for 14 gifted program students from Salisbury and Paradise elementary schools through Logan Jaeren, a friend of Haise whom Webb had come to know through a Facebook group of space travel devotees.

Haise, who is 91 years old, is known for his work with NASA's Apollo program, especially the Apollo 13 moon landing mission that could have ended in catastrophe for the three astronauts aboard. Rather than landing on the moon, Haise, Jim Lovell, and Jack Swigert orbited the moon and returned safely to Earth on April 17, 1970.

Haise was born in Biloxi, Miss. By the age of 24, he had earned a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering. He consequently became a NASA research pilot and at age 32 joined NASA's astronaut corps. At age 36, he became a member of the Apollo 13 mission, which experienced an oxygen tank explosion as the rocket barreled toward the moon. The safe return of the astronauts to Earth was immortalized in the movie "Apollo 13." Haise has participated in thousands of speaking engagements, and he was named to the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2023.

Prior to the hourlong Zoom interview, Webb gathered the students, and the group watched videos about Apollo 13 and completed activities related to the mission. "During that time, we made a list of questions to ask," stated Webb, who organized the more than a dozen questions so that students would each have a chance to step up to the microphone and speak directly to Haise. Among the many questions students asked Haise were what personal items he took into space and what memorabilia he still had from the trip. "We asked if there was anything wrong prior to the launch," recalled Webb, who noted the students also asked questions about whether the astronauts played pranks on each other.

Of course, questions related to the issues that arose during the mission were abundant. "They asked how much oxygen was left before the filter system was repaired and what it felt like thinking that you might not survive," noted Webb. "They asked what was it like being in the cold cabin," added Webb, noting that the astronauts had to power everything down to conserve energy for the return trip. "It was close to freezing by the time they re-entered the atmosphere."

Webb reported that the answer he found most surprising involved Haise's unerring belief that he would return safely. "(Haise) was not really scared during the situation," said Webb. "He had confidence in mission control and the thousands of people behind (bringing them back)." Webb added that the qualifications of all involved and the amount of teamwork that went into the mission was behind some of that confidence but also that Haise's experience also played into his bravery in the face of danger. "You can't be a test pilot without a lot of courage," he pointed out. Webb was also surprised to learn that Haise was not interested in going into space again. "I asked if he would go now if he had the chance, and he said, 'No,'" said Webb. "He said it takes lots of training, and he doesn't have the time or energy for that (now)."

According to Webb, Haise held the attention of the students throughout the interview. Webb had prepared the group by giving them the necessary background on the space program at that time. "I had to explain when the first satellite was launched and why there was a Space Race," said Webb, who noted that Haise was thorough in answering the students' questions and that Haise was pleased with the interaction. "Fred said it was a great session and that there were questions that he had not heard before or not heard in a long while," stated Webb, who plans to hold a similar session with senior high students by the end of February.