The recently deceased, [Ed Smylie], was a NASA engineer leading the effort to save the crew of Apollo 13 with a makeshift gas conduit made from plastic bags and duct tape back in the year 1970.
But the lunar module was only designed to support two people, not three.
The problem was that there was only enough lithium hydroxide onboard the lunar module to filter the air for two people.
The astronauts could salvage lithium hydroxide canisters from the command module, but those canisters were square, whereas the canisters for the lunar module were round.
This celebrated story has been told many times, including in the 1995 film, Apollo 13.
Some of your hacks are so good that you get the unique distinction of having both an in memoriam article at Hackaday and an obituary in the New York Times when you pass away.
Ed Smylie, who passed away recently, was a NASA engineer who led the effort to rescue the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 using a makeshift gas conduit constructed out of duct tape and plastic bags. [Ed] passed away at the age of 95 on April 21 in Crossville, Tennessee.
This specific hack, which is part of the lengthy and illustrious history of duct tape, was akin to putting a square peg in a round hole. The astronauts had to evacuate using the lunar excursion module after an explosion rendered the command module inoperable. However, the lunar module was only intended to accommodate two, not three, people.
The issue was that the lunar module only had enough lithium hydroxide to filter two people’s air. While the lunar module’s canisters were round, the command module’s square canisters of lithium hydroxide were salvageable by the astronauts.
The necessary adapter was renownedly designed by [Ed] and his team using a limited supply of materials found on the spacecraft. Many versions of this well-known tale have been told, including in the 1995 movie Apollo 13.
I am grateful to [Ed] for one of the best hacks ever. I hope you find peace.
