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In April 1970 an oxygen tank exploded on Apollo 13, more than 300,000 km from Earth, forcing the three astronauts into a lunar module built for two. Engineers on the ground then had to make the command module's square air filters fit the lunar module's round sockets, using only what was aboard.

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The story behind the card

With three people breathing in a craft designed for two, carbon dioxide was climbing towards dangerous levels, and the lunar module's own lithium hydroxide canisters, which absorb the gas, could not keep up. Engineers led by Ed Smylie designed an adapter from items known to be aboard: plastic bags, cardboard from a flight-plan cover, duct tape, a spacesuit hose and a sock. Mission Control read the instructions to the crew step by step over the radio, and it worked. The lunar module, never meant as a lifeboat, kept Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise alive for about four days, and all three splashed down safely on 17 April 1970. NASA later called the mission a 'successful failure'.

Türkçe oku
Nisan 1970'te Apollo 13'te, Dünya'dan 300.000 km'den fazla uzakta bir oksijen tankı patladı ve üç astronot iki kişilik ay modülüne sığınmak zorunda kaldı. Yerdeki mühendisler, komuta modülünün kare hava filtrelerini ay modülünün yuvarlak yuvalarına uydurmanın yolunu yalnızca araçta bulunan malzemelerle bulmak zorundaydı.

Üç kişinin iki kişilik bir araçta nefes alması karbondioksiti tehlikeli düzeylere doğru tırmandırıyordu; ay modülünde bu gazı tutan lityum hidroksit kutuları da yetmiyordu. Ed Smylie'nin yönettiği mühendisler, araçta olduğu bilinen malzemelerle bir bağlantı parçası tasarladı: plastik poşetler, uçuş planının kapağından karton, koli bandı, bir uzay giysisi hortumu ve bir çorap. Görev Kontrol talimatları telsizden mürettebata adım adım okudu ve düzenek işe yaradı. Cankurtaran olarak tasarlanmamış ay modülü, Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert ve Fred Haise'i yaklaşık dört gün hayatta tuttu; üçü de 17 Nisan 1970'te sağ salim okyanusa indi. NASA bu göreve sonradan “başarılı bir başarısızlık” dedi.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Apollo 13
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