The unrecognised decision that saved Apollo 13

The unrecognised decision that saved Apollo 13 Nasa The crew owed their lives to a three-way choice. “If the vehicle's systems were like the Command and Service Module, using fuel cells for power with modest battery reserves for atmospheric entry on return to Earth splashdown, we know the loss of the cryogenic oxygen resulting from the tank explosion would have left at most 12-15 hours of battery power to keep the ship alive,” says Woodfill, who was at the controls monitoring the alarm systems the evening the explosion happened. Only one would have returned the Apollo 13 crew alive “Residual oxygen in the cabin atmosphere and the suit EVA backpacks would have extended the life of the crew but without fuel cells, the main source of oxygen, death would have been imminent.” Earth orbit rendezvous The alternative to the direct approach was to perform one of two forms of rendezvous. Nasa At one point, Mission Control had only 18 hours to agree on a rescue plan before it was too late for the crew to return safely However, in an ‘Earth orbit rendezvous’ approach, the majority of the journey would have been completed in a single craft. “The return to Earth would still require more time than firing the extra retro rocket could reduce.” Lunar orbit rendezvous The final chosen approach was to travel to the Moon in a small, modular craft, separate while in lunar orbit, come back together again, and then travel back to Earth.