![]() ![]() Two of three batteries were near full 40-amp-hour strength, but the third only had about half that amount. There were 3 extra batteries in the Command Module to provide power for reentry, but after the explosion, they had been tapped for a short time to provide power when the fuel cells in the CM shut down. Used to reenter Earth’s atmosphere since it didn’t have a heat shield.) Towards the requirements for powering up CM for reentry. Once the LM power situation appeared stable, thoughts turned Behind Harry is Bob Munford the NASA Manger of the Power Distribution & Sequencing Section. To his right is Gary Johnson, then Harry Horii, Rockwell Space Division Manager. To the far right is Art Campos, next to him is the Grumman Manager of the LM electrical power subsystem. Snapshot from film of the MER during Apollo 13, of the Electrical Power team. It is estimated it dipped to 38 degrees F. This included some of the environmental systems, which created frigid conditions inside the spacecraft. ![]() The 2,181 ampere hours in the LM batteries were thought to be enough, but only if the crew turned off every electrical power device that was not absolutely necessary. Was with the engineers supporting the active LM systems.” By then the CSM was completely unpowered and the main activity Pm on April 13th],” said Johnson, “I was in the MER and did not leave until the “When the explosion of the SM oxygen tank occurred [at 9:08 The MER engineers helped determine, the life of the consumables on board since the LM was built for only a 45-hour lifetime (and it needed to keep the crew alive for over 80 hours) they helped calculate what attitude to burn the LM descent engine to provide a quick return home, and the MER helped write the new procedures powering up the cold Command Module for reentry to Earth.Įlectrical engineer Gary Johnson worked in the MER in theĬSM’s Electrical Power Distribution and Sequencing position. The MER was instrumental in many tasks, such as figuring out how to rig the carbon dioxide filtration system in the Lunar Module (LM) – which was serving as a life boat for the crew – and enabled the use of the square Command Module filters to fit in the LM’s system, which normally used round filters. Credit: NASAįor Apollo 13, the MER engineers faced several formidable hurdles. Lithium hydroxide is used to scrub CO2 from the spacecraft’s atmosphere. Interior view of the Apollo 13 Lunar Module (LM) showing the “mail box,” a jury-rigged arrangement which the Apollo 13 astronauts built to use the Command Module (CM) lithium hydroxide canisters to purge carbon dioxide from the LM. Those in the MER were all engineering experts for their systems, and the MER held 100 engineers or more, depending on the what was happening during the mission. Most other support teams contained experts for specific systems, but the MER held a diverse team of engineering experts across several different disciplines for both the spacecraft and the crew. ![]() One unique support room was called the Mission Evaluation Room (MER). There were Staff Support Rooms for all the main console positions in Mission Control in the Flight Dynamics SSR the Vehicle Systems SSR provided expertise and in-depth analysis on the Command and Service Module and the Lunar Module and Spacecraft Analysis (SPAN) Room provided detailed information on spacecraft operations. At the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, there were several teams of engineers providing expertise and support on the various components and phases of the mission. ![]()
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