Counting Down to Apollo

One American's account of watching humanity reach the Moon

Tag: improvisation

Day Two — The Lifeboat
Apollo 13 April 14, 1970

Day Two — The Lifeboat

The crew of Apollo 13 has moved into the Lunar Module Aquarius. It's a lifeboat. Designed for two men, two days. Three men, four days. Mission Control is rewriting every procedure in real time. I called in sick to work. I cannot leave the radio.
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The Carbon Dioxide Problem
Apollo 13 April 14, 1970

The Carbon Dioxide Problem

Mission Control engineers spent hours designing a way to make square carbon dioxide scrubber cartridges fit round holes, using only materials available on the spacecraft: cardboard, plastic bags, and tape. They called it the "mailbox." It worked. This is what saves people's lives: someone who knows enough to improvise.
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