That Time Apollo 12 Got Struck by Lightning, Twice

On November 14, 1969, at 11:22 a.m. ET, Apollo 12 with NASA astronauts Charles “Pete“ Conrad, Alan Bean, and Richard “Dick“ Gordon blasted off on there Saturn V Rocket. Lightning struck there Saturn V launch vehicle just 36.5 seconds after launch and again at 52 after launch. Several systems were knocked out. The fuel cells disconnected from the Saturn V’s power, a number of external sensors were lost, and power failed to the system that relayed the spacecraft’s data to both the crew and Mission Control. Thanks to flight controller John Aaron, who had seen the same malfunctions during a flight simulation during training prior to the launch. With Aaron’s intel, they knew to reset the Signal Conditioning Equipment (SCE) system and with automatic guidance, the crew was able to safely continue on their journey