The technical problems of piloting that Lovell and Haise faced—Swigert, as command module pilot, wasn’t trained to fly the LEM—were enormous. Aquarius was about the same length as the C.S.M., but it was little more than half the weight, and the LEM’s biggest engine, the DPS, had less than half the thrust of the C.S.M.’s engine. Using Aquarius to guide the C.S.M. was like using a small car to push a limousine, but in three dimensions, with requirements for precise adjustment. It had already been a problem during the first night, when Lovell and Haise had had to maneuver the assembly into a
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