After an explosion in Apollo 13's service module cut off propulsion and power, the lunar excursion module (LEM) was used as a lifeboat to provide life support to the three astronauts, and the engine of its descent stage for course changes, until the command module could re-enter the atmosphere after a long coast around the moon.
Joseph Finder's latest corporate thriller, Power Play, is a finely crafted excursion into the dark heart of executive-suite skullduggery, this time set in an aerospace company.