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Apollo 13
Apollo 13 was the name of the fateful NASA moon mission which was intended to be the third space mission to carry humans to the moon's surface. An explosion of one of the oxygen tanks and resulting damage to other systems caused the mission to be aborted before the lunar landing could take place. Questions about Apollo 13 and its crew are asked and answered here.
935 Questions
When did the first rocket go into space?
The first rocket to reach 100 km (the height now recognized as being officially in space) was an unmanned German V-2 Rocket, in June, 1944.
The first satellite to reach Earth orbit was Sputnik I, launched by the USSR on October 4, 1957.
The first manned spacecraft was the Vostok I capsule carrying Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
What percentage of people have gone into space?
Well, in fraction form, there have been roughly 432 to go out in space, and around 6.772 billion of us are still down here so that's 432/6772000000 ~ish
The crew of Apollo 2 consisted of Commander Wally Schirra and Co-pilot Donn Eisele. However, Apollo 2 was never launched as a manned mission, as it was initially canceled due to changes in the Apollo program. It was later re-designated as Apollo 1 after a fatal accident during a pre-launch test for the mission designated Apollo 204.
The Apollo 13 spacecraft suffered an explosion in the oxygen tank in the Service Module due to an electrical fault which resulted in a shortage of electrical power and oxygen. Conditions were appalling in the cold, dark and cramped lunar module. An explosion made the astronauts abandon the Command Module and use the Lunar Module as a lifeboat to get home.
Meanwhile on Earth, teams of hundreds of scientists and engineer created new strategies and procedures, ranging from instructions for a device that would prevent the men from suffocating on their own CO2 exhalations to the burns and procedures needed to send them around the moon and back to Earth using the moon's own gravity.
No one knew the extent of the damage done until the Service Module was jettisoned just prior to re-entry. Even then, it was not known if the heat shield that would protect them from burning up was damaged, but all went normally and they splashed down uneventfully.
The Apollo 13 Command Module is now in the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kansas.
The mission took off on April 11th 1970. On the way to the moon, two days later on April 13th there was an explosion on board the service module. This ripped part of the service module wall away and damaged much of the inside, including the life-support system. Much of the oxygen needed for breathing and for operating the fuel cells (to produce electricity) escaped into space.
The three-man crew had to use the lunar module that was attached to the command module which in turn was connected to the damaged service module as a 'life raft'. A full-scale resule mission then ensued. The only way for the men to return without using vital energy was to use 'free-return trajectory' - using the moon's gravity to speed up the craft, and sling-shoot the spacecraft round the moon and back to earth. In order to conserve as much energy as possible all non-essential systems were closed down including the cabin heating. Temperatures plummeted to way below zero as a result causing many problems for the three astronauts, especially Fred Haise (who was experiencing his first spaceflight) who developed a serious fever from a urinary infection. In addition to this, there was a dangerous build-up of carbon dioxide in the cabin from the astronauts' breathing as it was not removed by the filters in the damaged service and command modules. Therefore, the astronauts had to fashion makeshift filter systems by adapting the filter cartridges to fit into the lunar module life support system. This they did by using what they could in the craft - including Duck tape, the flight manual covers and even an old sock!
Their problems were not over on return to earth as they were coming in to the atmosphere at the wrong angle because they were underweight - the expected large amount of moonrock cargo, of course, was missing as they did not land on the moon. After a nailbiting manual adjustment of re-entry angle (something that had not even been attempted in simulators) because the computer on board was also out of action, the craft made their re-entry. However, there were doubts that the heatshield would hold after the damage to the craft causing the craft to burn up in the atmosphere.
After a record-breaking time in radio blackout during re-entry the craft did land safely in the ocean as planned (although off course) and all three astronauts were rescued.
The Apollo 13 mission was known as the 'successful failure' and many believe that, next to the success of Apollo 11 being the first to land on the moon, Apollo 13 showed Nasa at its finest. Literally hundreds worked round the clock to rescue the astronauts and the dedication of the team was regarded by the world as second to none.
I remember well this actually happening (I was 16 at the time) and the tension right across the world was astounding. One journalist said that during the rescue attempt 'the world held its breath'.
The three astronauts were Fred Haise, Jack Swiger and Jim Lovell (the captain). None of the three ever flew in space again. Swigert ended up elected to congress as a politician, but sadly died of cancer before taking up his seat.
Fred Haise is still alive (born 1933). In 2010 (when this was written) this makes him 77.
Jim Lovell was born in 1928 which makes him 82 this year (2010). On the movie Apollo 13 he was played by Tom Hanks. However, what most people do not know is that at the end of the movie Tom Hanks shakes hands with the captain of the US navy vessel that picked up the three astronauts from the sea. the captain of that ship was played by the real Jim Lovell, given a cameo part to play because of his help in getting factual material in the movie just right.
What were the names of the crew members of Apollo 13?
The three members of the Apollo 13 were: (Commander) James A Lovell, (Lunar module pilot) Fred Haise, and (Command module pilot) John L 'Jack' Swigert. The command module pilot was originally Thomas 'Ken' Mattingly. However he was exposed to German Measles and so was unable to go on the mission. He was replaced by Jack Swigert.
Interestingly, Mattingly never did get German measles, but did play a very important role, along with many others, by working with ground crew to help them devise a plan to bring the crew back safely.
Name a place where few people have set foot?
The Mariana Trench, located in the western Pacific Ocean, is the deepest known part of the world's oceans and has only been reached by a few expeditions. It remains one of the most mysterious and unexplored places on Earth.
What are the 2 purposes of liquid oxygen?
Liquid oxygen is used primarily as an oxidizer in rocket propulsion systems to support combustion in engines. It is also used in medical applications to treat patients with respiratory problems or in hyperbaric chambers for therapeutic purposes.
How did the mission systems break down on the Apollo 13 space flight?
If the question addresses the problem that originated on the vehicle, it is widely believed that an electrical fault (failed insulation on wiring) caused a short and an electric arc inside a cryo-tank. That, in turn, caused an explosion that damaged the vehicle. From that point, it was all about what the crew could do to turn around and get back home and land.
What awards did Jim Lovell receive?
Jim Lovell received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for his significant contributions to space exploration and his leadership during the Apollo 13 mission.
Why did astronauts get cold on apollo 13?
To conserve electrical power, most services were switched off to extend the module's strained resources, including the cabin heaters, after the Apollo 13 crisis.
How long were the astronauts in space from apollo 13?
The Apollo 13 mission lasted a total of 5 days, 22 hours, and 54 minutes. The astronauts launched on April 11, 1970, but due to an in-flight emergency, they did not land on the Moon as originally planned. Instead, they returned safely to Earth on April 17, 1970, after a harrowing experience that included using the Lunar Module as a lifeboat.
What was the cause of the Apollo 1 fire?
The fire was started by a short in the wiring. The hatch was sealed shut and the inside of the capsule was 100% oxygen which created an aggressive blaze.
Actually the command module was pressurized to 16.5psi of pure oxygen, which saturated everything in the spacecraft, giving the slightest spark the ability to start a raging fire within seconds. Things that normally wouldn't burn in standard atmosphere, burn very easily in 100% O2 at high pressure.
There were 3 hatches, the inside hatch that had to be pulled into the spacecraft and was held in place by the internal spacecraft pressure. The middle hatch that had 12 hex bolts that required the guys in the closeout room would screw closed and finally the outside blast cover hatch that was ejected with the escape tower after the 1st stage of the Apollo spacecraft was dropped off.
How did the crew of Apollo 13?
The crew of Apollo 13 experienced a critical failure in their spacecraft's oxygen tank, which caused them to abort their mission to land on the moon. They had to work with ground control to come up with innovative solutions to conserve power, heat, and water to ensure their safe return to Earth. Their resourcefulness and teamwork during the crisis became a testament to human ingenuity in space exploration.
When was the Apollo 13 launch date?
There were no spacecraft named Apollo 2 or 3
Sometimes one of the unmanned test missions is erroneously called Apollo 3. This was the AS202 mission which tested the command and service modules in suborbital flight. This was launched on August 26th 1966.
Yes it is. Really happened- we almost lost 3 astronauts.
