Apollo 13

The words

1. Aquarius

   Aquarius was Apollo 13’s lunar module. After the accident, its oxygen, electrical power and other life-support resources sustained three astronauts instead of the two it had been designed to carry.

   NASA: Apollo 13’s emergency (opens a new tab)

2. Condensation

   With most electrical equipment off, Odyssey grew cold and water droplets collected on its walls, wiring and panels. During reentry, the droplets fell through the cabin, creating the rain described in the printed note.

   NASA: Apollo 13 mission details (opens a new tab)

3. Dehydration

   The astronauts conserved drinking water because the remaining supply also had to cool equipment. Their restricted intake left them dehydrated during the return journey, adding to the cold and exhaustion of the emergency.

   NASA: Apollo 13 mission details (opens a new tab)

4. Duct Tape

   Duct tape helped join an improvised adapter that connected command-module carbon-dioxide filters to Aquarius’s air-cleaning system. Engineers worked with materials already aboard, and the crew recreated their solution in space.

   Smithsonian: Apollo 13’s mailbox adapter (opens a new tab)

5. Fred Haise

   Fred Haise was Apollo 13’s lunar module pilot. During the emergency, he helped bring Aquarius’s power, communications and life-support systems into operation as the crew prepared to leave the command module.

   NASA: Apollo 13’s emergency (opens a new tab)

6. Jack Swigert

   Jack Swigert joined Apollo 13 as command module pilot shortly before launch, replacing Ken Mattingly. He completed intensive refresher training and then flew with Lovell and Haise.

   Did you know?

   Before the accident, a reminder about April 15 prompted Swigert to admit that he had forgotten to file his income taxes in the rush of joining the crew.

   NASA: Apollo 13’s launch and crew change (opens a new tab)

7. James Lovell

   James Lovell commanded Apollo 13 after flying Gemini 7, Gemini 12 and Apollo 8. His earlier Apollo mission had already taken him into orbit around the Moon.

   Did you know?

   Lovell and Haise had already trained together on Apollo 11’s backup crew. For Apollo 13, they were assigned to make the lunar landing themselves.

   NASA: the Apollo 13 crew assignments (opens a new tab)

8. Ken Mattingly

   Ken Mattingly was replaced before launch after exposure to German measles, because he lacked immunity. The decision concerned the risk of illness during the mission, rather than an existing diagnosis.

   NASA: Apollo 13 mission details (opens a new tab)

9. Lifeboat

   The lunar module became a refuge after the command spacecraft lost its normal oxygen and electrical supply. Its resources kept the astronauts alive while Odyssey’s remaining power was reserved for reentry.

   NASA: Apollo 13’s emergency (opens a new tab)

10. Mailbox

    The mailbox was the nickname for the improvised filter adapter. It allowed square command-module filters to work with the lunar module’s differently shaped fittings, keeping carbon dioxide from accumulating in the cabin.

    Did you know?

    In 1975, the National Air and Space Museum commissioned a replica from people who had worked on Apollo 13. The flown adapter had stayed aboard Aquarius and was not recovered.

    Smithsonian: Apollo 13’s mailbox adapter (opens a new tab)

11. Odyssey

    Odyssey was Apollo 13’s command module. The astronauts reactivated it for the final return, transferred aboard from Aquarius, and descended under its parachutes to a safe Pacific splashdown.

    NASA: Apollo 13’s return and recovery (opens a new tab)

12. Oxygen Tank

    The failure of an oxygen tank in Apollo 13’s service module damaged the spacecraft and depleted the oxygen supply. It also interrupted fuel-cell electricity, forcing the crew to abandon the lunar landing.

    NASA: Apollo 13 mission details (opens a new tab)

13. Tiger Team

    Gene Kranz led Apollo 13’s Tiger Team. After handing over his control-room shift, his team stayed to study the accident and help plan the crew’s return.

    NASA Goddard: Gene Kranz’s career (opens a new tab) · NASA: Apollo 13’s emergency (opens a new tab)

14. Undervolt

    An electrical supply voltage below its normal level.

    A low-voltage warning appeared after the bang aboard Apollo 13. Swigert reported trouble, and Lovell identified the affected electrical bus, one of the spacecraft’s main power-distribution circuits.

    NASA: Apollo 13’s emergency (opens a new tab)

15. USS Iwo Jima

    USS Iwo Jima was Apollo 13’s recovery ship. Navy swimmers and helicopters brought Lovell, Swigert and Haise aboard after the Pacific splashdown, and sailors later recovered Odyssey as well.

    NASA: Apollo 13’s return and recovery (opens a new tab)