apollo 13 what is the stationary object that the astronauts use to hold course during the burn

by Dr. Tito Haag 3 min read

What was the role of Science on Apollo 13?

There was a greater role for science on Apollo 13, especially for geology, something emphasized by the mission's motto, Ex luna, scientia (From the Moon, knowledge). Apollo 13's mission commander, Jim Lovell, was 42 years old at the time of the spaceflight.

What experiments were completed during Apollo 13?

Several experiments were completed during Apollo 13, even though the mission did not land on the Moon. One involved the launch vehicle's S-IVB (the Saturn V's third stage), which on prior missions had been sent into solar orbit once detached.

What happened to the oxygen tank on Apollo 13?

Apollo 13. Due to an oversight in replacing an underrated component during a design modification, this turned out to severely damage the internal heating elements of the tank. Apollo 13 was to be the third lunar landing attempt, but the mission was aborted after rupture of service module oxygen tank.

What happened to Apollo 13’s service module?

This view of the severely damaged Apollo 13 Service Module was photographed from the Lunar Module/Command Module following the jettison of the Service Module. As seen here, an entire panel of the Service Module was blown away by the apparent explosion of oxygen tank number two located in Sector 4 of the Service Module.

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How did Apollo 13 slingshot around the Moon?

Three hours after the explosion, the crew used the Lunar Module's descent engine to modify their course to a "free-return trajectory" around the Moon, meaning lunar gravity would slingshot them back to Earth.

What equipment did they use on Apollo 11?

Fast Facts: Apollo 11NationUnited StatesScientific Instruments1. Passive Seismic Experiment 2. Lunar Field Geology 3. Laser Ranging Retroreflector 4. Solar Wind Composition 5. Cosmic-Ray Detection (helmets) 6. Lunar Surface Close-Up (camera) 7. Lunar Sample Analysis8 more rows

What was Apollo 13 docking with?

Lunar Module AquariusThey are to separate the Command Service Module from the spent Saturn V booster, turn around and dock with the Lunar Module Aquarius still nestled on top of the S-IVB. The stack, as it stands currently, is 40 metres long (132 feet) and has a mass of some 60,780 kg or 134,000 pounds.

What equipment did NASA leave on the Moon?

Table of objectsArtificial objectCountryStatusApollo 17 S-IVB (S-IVB-512)United StatesIntentionally crashedApollo 17 LM-12 Challenger descent stageUnited StatesLandedApollo 17 Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV-3)United StatesLandedApollo 17 LM-12 Challenger ascent stageUnited StatesCrashed (post-mission)56 more rows

What is the one piece of hardware that had to work perfectly to allow the astronauts to leave lunar orbit and return to Earth?

The Apollo spacecraft therefore had three primary components: a command module (CM) with a cabin for the three astronauts, and the only part that would return to Earth; a service module (SM) to provide the command module with propulsion, electrical power, oxygen, and water; and a two-stage lunar module (LM), which ...

What special equipment did Neil Armstrong use to go to the moon?

The Eagle has landed The Eagle lunar module had a descent rocket engine to slow it down, drop into a lower orbit and then hover over the surface. Guided by a landing radar, Armstrong piloted Eagle semi-manually using four clusters of rockets to finally touchdown in the Sea of Tranquillity on 20 July 1969.

Who died on Apollo 13?

Apollo 13 crew The Apollo 13 astronauts were commander James Lovell, lunar module pilot Fred Haise, and command module pilot John "Jack" Swigert.

Where is the Apollo 13 capsule?

Today, you can see the Apollo 13 Command Module on display at the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas. “Odyssey” is located in the Apollo Gallery of the Hall of Space.

Are any of the Apollo 13 astronauts alive?

Other astronauts from the program who are still alive include: Walter Cunningham, 89 (Apollo 7) William Anders, 87 (Apollo 8) Fred Haise Jr., 87 (Apollo 13)

Has a Bible been left on the moon?

Two hundred of the bibles were kept aboard the Apollo 14 command module "Kitty Hawk," which remained in lunar orbit. The remaining 100 descended to the moon's surface with Mitchell and mission commander Alan Shepard on board the lunar module "Antares" to the Fra Mauro lunar highlands.

How did the Apollo astronauts poop?

Space toilets didn't become much more sophisticated by the time the first Apollo missions launched. Astronauts like Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong had fecal collection bags that stuck to their bottoms with adhesive when they had to go. And microgravity could make things messy.

Is the eagle still on the moon?

After the crew re-boarded Columbia, the Eagle was abandoned in lunar orbit. Although its ultimate fate remains unknown, some calculations by the physicist James Meador published in 2021 showed that Eagle could theoretically still be in lunar orbit.

What is Apollo 13?

The Apollo 13 spacecraft consisted of Command Module 109 and Service Module 109 (together CSM-109), called Odyssey, and Lunar Module 7 (LM-7), called Aquarius. Also considered part of the spacecraft was the launch escape system, which would propel the command module (CM) to safety in the event of a problem during liftoff, and the Spacecraft–LM Adapter, numbered as SLA-16, which housed the lunar module (LM) during the first hours of the mission.

What is the meaning of the Apollo 13 medallion?

This is meant to symbolize the Apollo flights bringing the light of knowledge to all people.

What happened to Apollo 13?

Apollo 13 (April 11 – 17, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the lunar landing was aborted after an oxygen tank in the service module (SM) failed two days into the mission. The crew instead looped around the Moon and returned safely to Earth on April 17. The mission was commanded by Jim Lovell, with Jack Swigert as command module (CM) pilot and Fred Haise as Lunar Module (LM) pilot. Swigert was a late replacement for Ken Mattingly, who was grounded after exposure to rubella .

Why did Apollo 13 change to Apollo 13?

The change was part of an effort to increase the amount of hover time available to the astronauts as the missions headed into rougher terrain.

How long did Apollo 13 training take?

The Apollo 13 prime crew undertook over 1,000 hours of mission-specific training, more than five hours for every hour of the mission's ten-day planned duration. Each member of the prime crew spent over 400 hours in simulators of the CM and (for Lovell and Haise) of the LM at KSC and at Houston, some of which involved the flight controllers at Mission Control. Flight controllers participated in many simulations of problems with the spacecraft in flight, which taught them how to react in an emergency. Specialized simulators at other locations were also used by the crew members.

Why did Slayton create the support crews?

Slayton created the support crews because James McDivitt, who would command Apollo 9, believed that , with preparation going on in facilities across the US, meetings that needed a member of the flight crew would be missed. Support crew members were to assist as directed by the mission commander.

How many Saturn V rockets did NASA use?

NASA had contracted for fifteen Saturn V rockets to achieve the goal; at the time no one knew how many missions this would require. Since success was obtained in 1969 with the sixth Saturn V on Apollo 11, nine rockets remained available for a hoped-for total of ten landings. After the excitement of Apollo 11, the general public grew apathetic towards the space program and Congress continued to cut NASA's budget; Apollo 20 was canceled. Despite the successful lunar landing, the missions were considered so risky that astronauts could not afford life insurance to provide for their families if they died in space.

Why was Apollo 13 aborted?

Apollo 13 was to be the third lunar landing attempt, but the mission was aborted after rupture of service module oxygen tank.

How long did the Apollo 13 engine burn?

This caused the remaining four engines to burn 34 seconds longer than planned, and the S-IVB third stage had to burn nine seconds longer to put Apollo 13 in orbit. Days before the mission, backup lunar module pilot, Charles Duke, inadvertently exposed the crew to German measles.

What happened to Apollo 13?

An explosion on board forced Apollo 13 to circle the moon without landing. The Fra Mauro site was reassigned to Apollo 14. At 5 1/2 minutes after liftoff, John Swigert, Fred Haise and James Lovell felt a little vibration. Then the center engine of the S-II stage shut down two minutes early.

How much water did the Apollo crew lose?

Those stringent measures resulted in the crew finishing with 28.2 pounds of water, about 9 percent of the total.

How long did it take Apollo 13 to get back on a lunar landing?

The LM navigation system wasn't designed to help in this situation. Before the explosion at 30 hours, 40 minutes, Apollo 13 had made the normal midcourse correction, which would take it out of a free-return-to-Earth trajectory and put it on a lunar landing course. Now the task was to get back on a free-return course.

How long was Apollo 13?

At 46 hours, 43 minutes Joe Kerwin, the capsule communicator, or Capcom, on duty, said, "The spacecraft is in real good shape as far as we are concerned.

What did the crew do before discovering the oxygen leak?

The first thing the crew did, even before discovering the oxygen leak, was try to close the hatch between the CM and the LM. They reacted spontaneously, similar to a submarine crew, closing the hatches to limit the amount of flooding.

What was the Apollo 13 mission?

Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the Apollo Space program (1961-1975) and was supposed to be the third lunar landing mission, but the three astronauts aboard never reached the moon. Instead the crew and ground control team scrambled through a hair-raising rescue mission.

How did the Apollo 13 crew survive?

How the Crew of Apollo 13 Survived. One hour after the explosion, mission control instructed the crew to move to the LM, which had sufficient oxygen, and use it as a lifeboat. The LM was only designed to transport astronauts from the orbiting CM to the moon’s surface and back again; its power supply was meant to support two people for 45 hours.

How far was Apollo 13 from Earth?

At 9:00 p.m. EST on April 13, Apollo 13 was over 200,000 miles from Earth. The crew had just completed a television broadcast and was inspecting Aquarius, the Landing Module (LM). The next day, Apollo 13 was to enter the moon’s orbit.

How long would Apollo 13 take to get back to Earth?

If the crew of Apollo 13 were to make it back to Earth alive, the LM would have to support three men for at least 90 hours and successfully navigate more than 200,000 miles of space. Recommended for you. 6 Times the Olympics Were Boycotted. 8 Facts About Ancient Egypt's Hieroglyphic Writing.

What conditions were on board the LM?

Conditions on board the LM were challenging. The crew went on one-fifth water rations and endured cabin temperatures a few degrees above freezing to conserve energy. The square lithium hydroxide canisters from the CM were not compatible with the round openings in the LM environmental system, meaning the removal of carbon dioxide became a problem. Mission control built an impromptu adapter out of materials known to be onboard, and the crew successfully copied their model.

Where was Apollo 13 launched?

On April 11, 1970, Apollo 13 launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. On board were astronauts James Lovell, John “Jack” Swigert and Fred Haise. Their mission was to reach the Fra Mauro highlands of the moon and explore the Imbrium Basin, conducting geological experiments along the way.

What engine did Apollo 13 use to get to the moon?

Two hours after rounding the far side of the moon, the crew, using the sun as an alignment point, fired the LM’s small descent engine. The procedure was a success; Apollo 13 was on its way home.

Overview

Experiments and scientific objectives

Apollo 13's 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. Such material was likely to be available at Cone crater, a site where an impact was b…

Background

In 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy challenged his nation to land an astronaut on the Moon by the end of the decade, with a safe return to Earth. NASA worked towards this goal incrementally, sending astronauts into space during Project Mercury and Project Gemini, leading up to the Apollo program. The goal was achieved with Apollo 11, which landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Neil …

Astronauts and key Mission Control personnel

Apollo 13's mission commander, Jim Lovell, was 42 years old at the time of the spaceflight. He was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and had been a naval aviator and test pilot before being selected for the second group of astronauts in 1962; he flew with Frank Borman in Gemini 7 in 1965 and Buzz Aldrin in Gemini 12 the following year before flying in Apollo 8 in 1968, the first spacecr…

Mission insignia and call signs

The Apollo 13 mission insignia depicts the Greek god of the Sun, Apollo, with three horses pulling his chariot across the face of the Moon, and the Earth seen in the distance. This is meant to symbolize the Apollo flights bringing the light of knowledge to all people. The mission motto, Ex luna, scientia ("From the Moon, knowledge"), appears. In choosing it, Lovell adapted the motto of his alma mat…

Space vehicle

The Saturn V rocket used to carry Apollo 13 to the Moon was numbered SA-508, and was almost identical to those used on Apollo 8 through 12. Including the spacecraft, the rocket weighed in at 2,949,136 kilograms (6,501,733 lb). The S-IC first stage's engines were rated to generate 440,000 newtons (100,000 lbf) less total thrust than Apollo 12's, though they remained within specifications. To ke…

Training and preparation

The Apollo 13 prime crew undertook over 1,000 hours of mission-specific training, more than five hours for every hour of the mission's ten-day planned duration. Each member of the prime crew spent over 400 hours in simulators of the CM and (for Lovell and Haise) of the LM at KSC and at Houston, some of which involved the flight controllers at Mission Control. Flight controllers parti…

Flight of Apollo 13

The mission was launched at the planned time, 2:13:00 pm EST (19:13:00 UTC) on April 11. An anomaly occurred when the second-stage, center (inboard) engine shut down about two minutes early. This was caused by severe pogo oscillations. Starting with Apollo 10, the vehicle's guidance system was designed to shut the engine down in response to chamber pressure excursions. Pogo oscillations had occurred on Titan rockets (used during the Gemini program) and on previous Apo…