On April 11th 1970, NASA launched Apollo 13 launched on its ill-fated flight to the moon. The crew complement was James A. Lovell Jr., John L. Swigert Jr., and Fred W. Haise Jr. They had to abort the mission after the service module oxygen tank ruptured on April 13, which has captivated the media and space enthusiasts ever since.

Mission Background

Apollo 13 was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The designated landing site was near Fra Mauro crater; the Fra Mauro formation was believed to contain much material spattered by the impact that had filled the Imbrium basin early in the Moon’s history. Dating it would provide information not only about the Moon, but about the Earth’s early history. The landing site was near what was dubbed Cone crater, a site where an impact was believed to have drilled deep into the lunar regolith.

Instruments included a seismometer, Heat Flow Experiment (HFE), Charged Particle Lunar Environment Experiment (CPLEE), Lunar Atmosphere Detector (LAD)and a Dust Detector. The Heat Flow Experiment (HFE), which would involve the drilling of two holes 10 feet (3.0 m) deep.  A Charged Particle Lunar Environment Experiment (CPLEE) measured the protons and electrons of solar origin reaching the Moon. The package also included a Lunar Atmosphere Detector (LAD), and a Dust Detector, to measure the accumulation of debris. The Heat Flow Experiment and the CPLEE were flown for the first time on Apollo 13; the other experiments had been flown before.

What happened during the mission

2 days into the mission, an oxygen tank in the service module exploded. The oxygen tank failure was caused by accidental ignition of damaged wire insulation inside it during a routine tank stirring operation. as a result of the failure, the service module soon lost all its oxygen, needed for breathing and for generating electrical power. To conserve its resources for reentry, the astronauts shut the power down in the command module, Which forced the crew to transfer to the lunar module as a lifeboat. With the lunar landing cancelled, mission controllers worked feverishly to bring the crew home alive.

NASA was able to return the astronauts back to Earth successfully by having the astronauts loop around the moon. To safely return the astronauts to Earth, NASA has to develop new procedures so it could support three men for four days. This resulted in the crew experiencing great hardship caused by limited power, a chilly and wet cabin, and a shortage of potable water.

Mission Response And Reaction

As a response of the issues with the Apollo 13 oxygen tank, NASA performed an intensive investigation, named the Apollo 13 Accident Review Board. The Apollo 13 Accident Review Board was able to identify the cause of the explosion. When the Command Modules were improved in 1965 raised the permissible voltage to the heaters in the oxygen tanks from 28 to 65 volts DC. As part of this change, the thermostatic switches on these heaters weren’t modified to suit the change.

Due to a lengthy exposure of the wiring to extreme temperatures on the launch pad as a part of a test, the teflon insulation highly degraded. This meant that there were warning signs that went unheeded as the overheating resulted in the explosion.

During the actual incident, the Apollo 13 event was seen by millions and nations offered help. It is said that other than Apollo 11, Apollo 13 had received more attention than any other space event. An estimated 40 million Americans watched Apollo 13’s splashdown, which was broadcasted live on all television networks.

There have been many books and movies inspired by the events of the Apollo 13 mission, some of which continue to captivate the public.

References

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo13.html