Chapter 3: Lifeboat

Lifeboat & Moon Flyby

Lunar Module interior serving as lifeboat
The cramped interior of Aquarius - designed for 2, now home to 3

Moving to the LM

With the Command Module dying, the crew made the critical move to the Lunar Module "Aquarius." Lovell and Haise began powering it up around GET 57:40, racing the Command Module's last minutes of battery power. By about GET 58:40 — nearly three hours after the explosion — Odyssey was shut down and the lifeboat was alive.

The Squeeze

  • Cramped: ~160 cubic feet (like a walk-in closet)
  • Designed for standing room, not living quarters
  • Three grown men in thin flight coveralls — they never even put on their bulky space suits
  • Moving one arm disturbs the other two
  • No privacy, no comfort, no sleep possible

What the Lifeboat Provides

✓ Oxygen reserves (the one supply they had plenty of)
✓ Battery power (must conserve every amp)
✓ Descent engine (for course corrections)
✓ Life support systems (running overtime)

What It Doesn't Provide

✕ Warmth - LM cabin falls to about 50°F; the powered-down Command Module next door drops to 38°F
✕ Space - Extremely cramped for 3 people
✕ Comfort - Condensation on walls, impossible to sleep
✕ Certainty - Built to keep 2 men alive for about 45 hours. It would have to keep 3 alive for roughly 84 hours — nearly twice as long, with an extra person

Swinging Around the Moon

Day 4 - April 14, 1970

Apollo 13 reached its closest approach to the Moon: ~158 miles above the surface. Through the LM window, the crew watched the lunar surface rush below.

  • Pericynthion (pair-ih-SIN-thee-un): The official name for the closest point to the Moon — reached at about GET 77:08. Remember that word; the next decision hangs on it. They should have been landing at Fra Mauro right now. Instead, just passing by for survival.
  • Communication Blackout: Spacecraft passes behind the Moon. No radio contact with Earth for about 25 minutes. Families hold their breath.
  • Signal Returns: They're still alive!
View of Moon's far side
The far side of the Moon as seen from Apollo 13

Around the Moon — Now What?

Rounding the Moon put Apollo 13 on the free-return path toward Earth. But "toward Earth" and "home in time" are not the same thing — and in Houston, engineers were already arguing about whether the spacecraft was coming back fast enough for its dwindling supplies. Two hours past pericynthion, the crew would have a choice to make...

Survival Conditions

Cold: ~50°F in the LM, 38°F in the dead Command Module

  • Water condensation on every surface
  • Wet walls and windows made it feel even colder
  • Crew shivering in thin coveralls

Water Rations: 6 oz per person per day

  • About one-fifth of normal intake — half a soda can per day
  • Dehydration setting in
  • Haise developing a kidney/urinary infection

Power Conservation:

  • Heaters off (too cold to sleep)
  • Minimal lights (stumbling in dark)
  • Radios in low-power mode — but Houston stayed on the line around the clock
  • Every amp-hour counts for re-entry

Sleep Deprivation:

  • Nearly impossible to sleep in a cramped, frigid LM
  • Constant stress and worry
  • Moving disturbs others
  • Exhaustion building

The Long Wait Begins

Current position: Past the Moon, heading home

Time to Earth: About 2.7 days (~66 hours)

Status: Alive but suffering

But Aquarius is keeping them alive.