Apollo 13 Minute Podcast

Minute 091: If Anything More Goes Wrong

Apollo 13 Minute Podcast

Show Notes

A news anchor explains that the CO2 scrubbers “are quickly becoming saturated.”

On board Aquarius, Jim Lovell coughs as he helps assemble the makeshift scrubber.

Fred looks at a rip in one of the bags. “Sh-t, I tore it,” says Haise.

“Sh-t,” echoes Swigert.

“Houston, what do we do if we rip the bag?” asks Haise. “Can we tape it?”

At Mission Control, CAPCOM turns to the technician. “They just tore the bag,” says CAPCOM.

“Oh, no,” says the technician.

“All right, stand by,” says CAPCOM. He turns to the technician. “What should I tell them to do?”

“They should have one more bag,” replies the technician.

On CBS, Walter Cronkite is talking to astronaut Wally Schirra. “Well,” says Cronkite, “they still got a long way to come, and they are now working on their back-up facilities, their emergency facilities and the problem is if anything more goes wrong, they’re in real trouble.”

In deep space, the crew works on the carbon dioxide contraption. A roll of duct tape floats insie the Lunar Module as the camera pulls back out the window.

CO2 partial pressure continues to rise, creeping closer to the fatal 15 ppm on the gauge.

The crew is experiencing tunnel vision and blurriness.

IN THIS MINUTE:

Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell

Bill Paxton as Fred Haise

Kevin Bacon as Jack Swigert

Brett Cullen as CAPCOM / Andy

Walter von Huene as Technician

Walter Cronkite as Himself

Wally Schirra as Himself

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