Tell me things about Apollo 13!

[Tex]

So I am currently making a mini-documentary for a Documentary Filmmaking class in my high school, and I'm making it about Apollo 13. I know the whole story (mostly, as I have the official mission timeline), but tell me anything you can about Apollo 13!

Absolutely anything counts, and if you provide relevant information that helps, I'll put you in the credits (either username or real name, if I PM you)! I want all the help I can get, so tell me stuffs!

Ooh, also: Keep it a bit short, no need to tell me the whole thing, as I already have the timeline directly from NASA. I know the big picture, but tell me anything interesting I might have missed.

[brooklyn666]

There is so much info out there, I don't think any of us could tell you anything you can't easily find out already. Check out the report from the Apollo 13 Accident Review Board, the post-flight press-conference, and if you can find it, the entire mission control FDI and CAPCOM loops.

[astropapi1]

They snapped a couple of pictures of the Service Module just before reentry. Here's one:

[DonLorenzo]

Since Apollo 13 no NASA mission has had number 13. I think.

Also there were a whole lot of thirteens in the dates and stuff, so superstitious folks go nuts over that

[Greenfire32]

"Farewell, Aquarius, and we thank you."

Spoken after the LEM was separated from the Command Pod just before re-entry.

[Nikolai]

Since Apollo 13 no NASA mission has had number 13. I think.

It hasn't had much opportunity, but you're right. STS-13, the only possible (manned) contender, was re-designated STS-41C when NASA opted to name missions after their year and order within the year rather than simple planning order. (They switched back after STS-51L.)

[Nikolai]

Grumman (the LM manufacturer) was not the grumpy, lawsuit-fearing entity portrayed in the movie. In real life, they worked hard with NASA to ensure the survival of the crew. As the mission was drawing to a close, Grumman wrote up a fake "towing" bill to North American (the CSM manufacturer); IMHO, the best part was the incremental cost per mile towed.

You can find a copy of the invoice here: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5220/5514854302_631f7643b6_o.jpg

[Pursuedtank]

It hasn't had much opportunity, but you're right. STS-13, the only possible (manned) contender, was re-designated STS-41C when NASA opted to name missions after their year and order within the year rather than simple planning order. (They switched back after STS-51L.)

Although the crew of the mission that would have been called STS-13 had an unofficial mission patch created, on top of that they ended up landing on Friday the thirteenth.

As to the Apollo 13 question, The crew were saved by duct tape, in the whole square peg and round hole issue.

[hugix]

Since Apollo 13 no NASA mission has had number 13. I think.

Also there were a whole lot of thirteens in the dates and stuff, so superstitious folks go nuts over that

There was a NASA astronaut aboard expidition 13...

[Tex]

Pretty good so far, lots of interesting stuff. Keep it coming, people!

[Kilmeister]

Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, And Jack Swigert hold the record for being farthest away from earth. The reason they hold the record is that they entered into a free return trajectory, instead of their planned lunar orbit insertion.

[Transits]

They had to keep doing course corrections the whole way because they had put the mass of the moon rocks that they would've gathered into their calculations.

[hugix]

Jim Lovell actually went 2 times to the moon. Only three people went to the Moon twice (Young and Cernan also flew twice). But Lovell is the only person that flew to the Moon twice without landing. Quite sad actually.

[Javster]

Um, they used a sock and a lithium battery to make some carbon dioxide filters fit together I think. And duct tape. Which they took on every single STS mission.

[StrandedonEarth]

You probably read this article or something similar. My main point being that the tank had been dropped once, along with a design oversight. Also, this accident fits the "Swiss Cheese" theory of accidents. This theory has also been applied to health care.

[brooklyn666]

They had to keep doing course corrections the whole way because they had put the mass of the moon rocks that they would've gathered into their calculations.

They only did 2 small course correction burns after the PC+2 burn, and it had nothing to do with moon rocks. It was because the LM's cooling system was evaporating water into space, which created a very small amount of thrust that added up over the 3 days the LM was powered up. The astronauts and mission control overlooked this, because the LM was never designed to be powered up for so long in cis-lunar space.

[Whirligig Girl]

13 is unlucky number according to superstition, so the only reason they survived is because the Lunar Module Aquarius was LM-7, 7 being a lucky number.

[meve12]

Wire insulation burns surprisingly fast and furious in pure oxygen.

Rapid pressure buildups in a spacecraft are just as deadly, if not more so, than rapid decompression.

[TheShadow1138]

Lovell, Haise, and Mattingly were originally slated as the prime crew of Apollo 14, but were bumped to 13 when it was decided that Apollo 13 prime crew Commander, Alan Shepard Jr. (the first American in space) needed more training after five years of inactive flight status due to Ménières Disease, which he had surgically corrected in May 1969, and so was moved to the prime crew of Apollo 14. Of course, Mattingly was bumped and replaced with Swigert when a blood test indicated that he may have the Measles.

[StrandedonEarth]

Everything burns surprisingly fast and furious in pure oxygen. Oil or grease will spontaneously ignite in pure oxygen. DO NOT oil the O2 fittings on your oxyacetylene welding rig.

[Kerbart]

Pogo oscillations caused the center engine of the 2^nd stage to shut down by itself two minutes prematurely. Had the engine not shutdown, the famous LEM accident would never have happened -- as an unplanned rapid disassembly would likely have ensued.

[Mitchz95]

Contrary to popular belief, the correct line is "Houston, we've had a problem", not "Houston, we have a problem".

[Tex]

Haha, both of those last ones I knew. Thanks anyway! I'm eager to hear if you guys have any more!

[Nibb31]

Why not read a book about it? I'm not against helping you with your homework, but seriously, relying on unknown folks on the Internet is lazy and foolish.

Pogo oscillations caused the center engine of the 2^nd stage to shut down by itself two minutes prematurely. Had the engine not shutdown, the famous LEM accident would never have happened -- as an unplanned rapid disassembly would likely have ensued.

"LEM accident"?

Edited March 6, 2014 by Nibb31

[brooklyn666]

The O2 tank #2 that exploded on Apollo 13 (serial# 10024X-TA0008) was originally meant to be installed on Apollo 10, but was removed for modification, and later installed on 13.