Houston, we have a problem en · X
Pronunciation
- /ˈh(j)uːst(ə)n ˌwiː hæv ə ˈpɹɒbləm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈ(h)justən ˌwi hæv ə ˈpɹɑbləm/ (General-American)
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
A misquotation of the phrases “Houston, we’ve had a problem here” and “Houston, we’ve had a problem” said by the American astronauts Jim Lovell (1928–2025) and Jack Swigert (1931–1982), who were crew members of the Apollo 13 moon flight, to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, on April 13, 1970, after an oxygen tank triggered an explosion which led to the mission being aborted. The phrase in the form “Houston, we have a problem” was popularized by the film Apollo 13 (1995). The American screenwriter William Broyles Jr. (born 1944) altered the original phrases as he felt that “[t]he past perfect tense wasn’t as dramatic”. However, the phrase has been used earlier, for example, as the title of a 1974 television movie about the Apollo 13 mission.
Meanings
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(US, humorous) Used to report that a (major) problem has occurred.
Houston, we have a problem. We're running out of oil! The petroleum that fuels our daily lives is getting harder to find.
2002, Dan Ramsey, Complete Idiot’s Guide to Solar Power for Your Home (Complete Idiot’s Guide), Indianapolis, Ind.: Alpha Books, →ISBN, page xvii:My own contribution for the BBC London headline at the time was: "Euston, we have a problem."
2025 November 12, Tom Edwards, “Tackling the 'Euston Rush'”, in RAIL, number 1048, page 32:
Translations (20)
gl Houston, temos un problema (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · fr Houston, nous avons un problème (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · de Houston, wir haben ein Problem (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · pt Houston, nós temos um problema (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · it Houston, abbiamo un problema (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · hy Հյուսթոն, մենք խնդիր ունենքէ (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · nl Houston, we hebben een probleem (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · pl Houston, mamy problem (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · sh Hjuston, imamo problem! (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · bg Хюстън, имаме проблем! (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · uk Г'юстоне, у нас проблема (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · tr Houston, bir sorunumuz var (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · sh Хјустон, имамо проблем! (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · es Jiuston, tenemos un problema (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · es Houston, tenemos un problema (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · sl Houston, imamo problem! (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · sh Houston, imamo problem! (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · ru Хьюстон, у нас проблема (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · fi Houston, meillä on ongelma (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred) · eu Houston, arazo bat daukagu (used to report that a (major) problem has occurred)
wikipedia: The Washington Post · wikipedia: Jim Lovell · wikipedia: William Broyles Jr. · wikipedia: Jack Swigert · wikipedia: Apollo 13