Former NASA Houston engineer Jerry Woodfill was monitoring Apollo 13’s warning system, when the vehicle exploded on April 14, 1970.

At the time, he said that he experienced a number of “divine acts,” ones that rescued the space mission and convinced him of a divine presence in his life.

Woodfill will share his story at the Rothko Chapel at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17. The pay what you can event has a suggested donation of $15. The Chapel is located at 3900 Yupon St.

Woodfill has worked for NASA at the Johnson Space Center for more than 52 years.

After receiving a degree in electrical engineering, he was so impressed by President John Kennedy’s 1962 Rice Stadium Moon Race speech that he joined NASA and became the Apollo Moon Program’s spacecraft warning system engineer.

He contributed to the designs of both Neil Armstrong’s Columbia and Eagle spacecraft warning systems as their warning system engineer.

He was monitoring both at the time of the Lunar Landing – and was at this station the evening of the explosion of Apollo 13. He was one of the first to hear, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” After all, it was his warning system’s alarm that alerted Mission Control to the grave situation that might have resulted in the death of the crew.

Woodfill was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom as a member of the Apollo 13 Mission Operation’s Team.

For more information about the Rothko Chapel and a full calendar of upcoming programs, workshops and events, visit rothkochapel.org or call 713-524-9839.