Clooney, astronauts mark 45th anniversary of Apollo 13

SUGAR LAND, Texas (AP) -- George Clooney has joined astronauts Jim Lovell, Tom Stafford and Eugene "Gene" Cernan at a gala in Texas to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission.

The event to mark last month's anniversary was held Tuesday night at an airport hangar in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land.

The Apollo 13 mission was the third intended to land on the moon, but after it launched April 11, 1970, an oxygen tank exploded, crippling the spacecraft. The crew was forced to orbit the moon instead of landing and returned safely on April 17. Lovell commanded the mission.

Clooney is a brand ambassador for Omega, which sponsored the event and outfitted the astronauts on the mission with watches.

The event culminated with dinner in a room designed to mimic the surface of the moon.

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