Apollo 13 (as-508): Houston, We Have A Problem.

577 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Apollo 13 research essay

Apollo 13 (AS-508): Houston, we have a problem.

The Apollo 13 mission was launched at 2:13 p.m. EST, April 11, 1970 from launch complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The space vehicle crew consisted of
James A. Lovell, Jr. commander, John L. Swigert, Jr., command module pilot and
Fred W. Haise, Jr. lunar module pilot.
The Apollo 13 Mission was planned as a lunar landing mission but was aborted en route to the moon after about 56 hours of flight due to loss of service module cryogenic oxygen and consequent loss of capability to generate electrical power, to provide oxygen and to produce water.
Spacecraft systems performance was nominal until the fans in cryogenic oxygen tank 2 were turned on at 55:53:18 ground elapsed time (GET). About 2 seconds after energizing the fan circuit, a short was indicated in the current from fuel cell 3, which was supplying power to cryogenic oxygen tank 2 fans.
Within several additional seconds, two other shorted conditions occurred.
Electrical shorts in the fan circuit ignited the wire insulation, causing temperature and pressure to increase within cryogenic oxygen tank 2. When pressure reached the cryogenic oxygen tank 2 relief valve full-flow conditions of 1008 psi, the pressure began decreasing for about 9 seconds, at which time the relief valve probably reseated, causing the pressure to rise again momentarily. About a quarter of a second later, a vibration disturbance was noted on the command module accelerometers.
The next series of events occurred within a fraction of a second between the accelerometer disturbances and the data loss. A tank line burst, because of heat, in the vacuum jacket pressurizing the annulus and, in turn, causing the blow-out plug on the vacuum jacket to rupture. Some mechanism in bay 4 combined with the oxygen buildup in that bay to cause a rapid pressure rise which resulted in separation of the outer panel. The panel struck one of the dishes of the high-gain antenna. The panel separation shock closed the fuel cell 1 and 3 oxygen reactant shut-off valves and several propellant and helium isolation valves in the reaction control system. Data were lost for about 1.8 seconds as the high-gain antenna switched from narrow beam to wide beam, because of the antenna being hit and damaged.
As a result of these occurrences, the CM was powered down and the LM was configured to supply the necessary power and other consumables.
The CSM was powered down at approximately 58:40 GET. The surge tank and repressurization package were isolated with approximately 860 psi residual pressure (approx. 6.5 lbs of oxygen total). The primary water glycol system was

Show More
Related

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gilgamesh thinks he has everything that he wants in life until the gods send down his true love, Enkidu. Before meeting Enkidu, Gilgamesh was having fun ruling his city in a very arrogant manner. For example, "Gilgamesh was a tyrant to his people" (15). He would push his people half to death working on building city walls and fortresses. He would go "into the marketplace to the family house to sleep with the virgins" (17). When Gilgamesh had the dre...

    Read More

  • A Day at The Beacon in Houston

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    I selected the Beacon to complete my service learning assignment over two days. The Beacon, a nonprofit day center that provides services to Houston’s homeless, is located at 1212 Prairie and staff can be reached at (713) 220-9737. The Beacon’s website, www.chomhouston.org, provides comprehensive information on the history of The Beacon and the services they provide. Established in 2007 by Christ Cathedral Church, The Beacon is currently open to serve clients Friday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. However, starting in April, The Beacon will begin opening on Thursday to provide services five days a week (Chomhouston.org, 2014). My contact, Zachary Hubenak, is the kitchen Coordinator and informed me the population The Beacon serves has grown 10 fold since its inception. Hubenak, additionally ,told me The Beacon served 80 people on its inaugural day and serve over 700 now on a daily basis (personal communication, January 28, 2014). My first day of service saw the population hit almost 800 and no one was turned away.

    Read More

  • Apollo 8 Mission: Vocational Glory to God

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bill Anders, Jim Lovell and Frank Bormann will possibly never be recognized as great theologians, yet their extraordinary act, demonstrated a profound validation of how our vocations can glorify God. In 1969, the Apollo 8 Mission was the most watched television broadcast, these three astronauts, read in turn from the Book of Genesis as they orbited the moon. Bill Anders began, "We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you. ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’” Each astronaut then continued through the story of creation finishing the broadcast with “and God saw that it was good.”

    Read More

  • What Was Apollo 13 Failure

    288 Words  | 1 Pages

    How would you feel if you were on the Apollo 13 ship during the explosion? It would be pretty scary right. They faced many problems. Apollo 13 was a successful failure because it was a mission to the moon, they overcame many challenges, and surviving the free fall to Earth.

    Read More

  • Gilgamesh Pride

    119 Words  | 1 Pages

    The epic poem “Epic of Gilgamesh” is about Gilgamesh, a prideful king that acts like a tyrant to his people, faces problems as the Gods try to kill him, and, tries to gain immortality after seeing his friend Enkidu die. First, one should know Gilgamesh doesn’t value his people or his kingdom(Sandars). In my opinion, heroes should be grateful for their friends,allies,and what they have. Furthermore, heroes should not be so prideful like Gilgamesh and be rude to the people he rules(Sandars). Therefore, the hero’s journey teaches us the lesson that excessive pride is bad because it makes you act selfish and love only yourself when you should care for others especially if you are a king or ruler.

    Read More

  • Apollo 11

    1320 Words  | 3 Pages

    "10,9, ignition sequence start, 6,5,4,3,2,1, zero. All engines running. Liftoff! We have a liftoff! Thirty-two minutes past the hour. Liftoff on Apollo 11!" (Apollo 1) It all began with the emotions that the new television brought to the average family. The television was not popular until the 1950s (before). The tv was not so popular because of the price this tehnology had in the 1950s. As time passed on it began to get cheaper and cheaper, obviously this made it more affordable for family to obtain.

    Read More

  • Apollo 13: Gene Krantz's Team

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the accident, Gene Krantz relied on the skills and expertise of his people. A successful leader builds a strong team, but a leader must be able to separate himself/herself from the team to make the best decision. In Apollo 13, Gene empowered his team to come up with a solution for the air scrubbers. By addressing the most critical problem first, he afforded the team time to work on the other problems. The scrubbers were the most critical or they all would have suffocated. By encouraging the team to share expertise and professional opinion and separates himself by taking it all into consideration when making the decision.

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of Raunch Culture

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women are known to be very delicate, emotional and passive individuals. So to effectively achieve as FCP’s, they must be able to demonstrate these skills successfully to participate in raunch culture. They have to learn how to adopt these styles because it is something totally different from what they [women] are used to be doing. Women must prove their skills by executing them. According to Levy, “Raunch provides a special opportunity for a woman who wants to prove her mettle. It’s in fashion […], so producing it or participating in it is a way both to flaunt your coolness and to mark yourself as different, tougher, looser, funnier—a new sort of loophole woman who is ‘not like other women,’ who is instead ‘like a man’,” (269). So in order to participate in raunch, women have to adopt the stereotypes men are known to be stereotyped as by carrying out the known manners of their culture with the form of fashion to show that they can be tough and that they are distinct. While conforming to those styles, they also have to enjoy looking and making comments about what they think. According to Levy, “to really be like a man, FCP’s have to enjoy looking at those women, too,” (270). And also, if they, “are going to act ‘like a man,’ there has to be an inherent manliness to which they can

    Read More

  • Gilgamesh And Odysseus Similarities

    475 Words  | 1 Pages

    While reading the list of Gilgamesh’s shortcomings and major character flaws, we find he lords over the city, “like a wild bull, his head thrust high.” This tells me, Gilgamesh is a brute with an extreme ego and sense of entitlement. Tablet 1 also tells us that Gilgamesh is overly aggressive and hard on his men and that he would constantly rage. It seems he demands compliance out of fear. The most disturbing of flaws, is his disrespect and violation of the females in his city. By taking their daughters, not only does Gilgamesh violate the relationship between the men that fight for him, but he violates the sanctity of marriage and casts a dark cloud over any family planning a wedding. I can only imagine the heaviness of impending doom as exchanging vows means Gilgamesh will impose his rule of first rite. These actions are not those of a hero, yet we are to believe Gilgamesh, is in fact a

    Read More

  • The Role Of Power In Andrew George's 'Epic Of Gilgamesh'

    318 Words  | 1 Pages

    King Gilgamesh is the epitome of an egotistical, power hungry, legacy craving King that perfectly resembles the formidable power held by a ruler in ancient Mesopotamian society. The thirst for kingly domain is shown in Tablet 1, lines 167-174, in which emphasize the harshness of Gilgamesh as a ruler shown through the eyes of his people. He dominates them by unwavering

    Read More

  • Was Gilgamesh Insecure

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Epic Gilgamesh has been around for years. We all know the basics with Gilgamesh and his fight to grow and live a one of a kind life. But what few do not know is the insecurities Gilgamesh faced. Some argue that Gilgamesh was a perfect God. He was the insecure bully on campus, by taking control of Uruk, he had no respect among his peers, and he was man that no one wanted to be. Others argue that Gilgamesh was a scared God; his fear is what made him more and more human throughout his life span. Most readers over look his flaw while reading, but when carefully examining the poem, I have found that there is explicit evidence that shows that Gilgamesh was one of the most insecure characters in the poem. During the course of the poem, Gilgamesh

    Read More

  • Hercules And Gilgamesh Comparison Essay

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Epic of Gilgamesh introduces us to the Mesopotamian culture, where citizens believe they should live in a just society, women have power, and people feel that their ideal death would be in an honorable manner. (####) The story of

    Read More

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh: Overview

    988 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Epic of Gilgamesh is the greatest text of Mesopotamia and one of the earliest pieces of world literature. Gilgamesh quest for immortality explores human concerns about death, friendship, nature, civilization, power, violence, travel adventures, homecoming, love and sexuality. (pg. 95) “The Gilgamesh of the epic is an awe-inspiring, sparkling hero, but at first also the epitome of a bad ruler: arrogant, oppressive, and brutal.” (pg.96) Gilgamesh is 2/3 god because of his superhuman strength and endurance; he is 1/3 human because of his mortality. His epitome of a bad ruler will cause the gods to give consequences to his actions.

    Read More

  • Leadership on Apollo 13

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    On April 13, 1970, NASA's Mission Control heard the five words that no control center ever wants to hear: "We've got a problem here." Jack Swigert, an astronaut aboard the Apollo 13 aircraft, reported the problem of broken down oxygen tanks to the Houston Control Center, less than two days after its takeoff on April 11th. Those at the Control Center in Houston were unsure what had happened to the spacecraft, but knew that some sort of explosion had occurred. This so-called explosion sent Apollo 13 spinning away from the Earth at 2,000 miles per hour, 75 percent of the way to the moon. In order to get the astronauts back to the Earth's atmosphere would be to utilize the moon's gravitational pull and send them back towards home, like a slingshot. However, this procedure would require three days, and this demanded more oxygen and electricity than the crew had available to them. Eugene "Gene" Kranz, head of this flight mission, although looking on in horror, began thinking of solutions to the problem immediately after the Controls were aware of the problem on board. Knowing that the options of refueling the spacecraft with oxygen or retrieve the astronauts himself, he needed to think of a strategy for a safe return. In this sense, if his solution fails, it could result in the biggest catastrophe in NASA history.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Magical Realism In Como Agua Para Chocolate

    656 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this novel, a young girl named Tita who faces many obstacles along her entire life to marry the love of her life, Pedro, but can never have due to a family tradition of the youngest daughter not marrying but taking care of her mother until the day she dies. Tita is only able to express herself when she cooks. Through magical realism, Esquivel presents the profound emotions that the characters feel in this passion and romance story.

    Read More

More about Apollo 13 (as-508): Houston, We Have A Problem.

Open Document