Paper artifacts are often reshaped and distortions removed through the addition of water vapor, a step referred to as “controlled humidification.” However, humidification was an unfavorable options due to the limited access to the interior and the potential to create condensation and a microclimate. To accurately represent the modified cannister used during the mission, the cardstock required reshaping. The shape of the cardstock was significantly distorted and was no longer in keeping with the intent of the engineers. Numerous steps were undertaken as part of the treatment, and I will share the most important steps below. Treatment commenced after a thorough documentation and approval from the curator. The main concerns were the shape of the cardstock and safe reattachment of the lifting duct tape and hose. The aim of the conservation treatment was to bring the object to a stable and more accurate configuration. Comparisons with early photographs of this artifact also revealed that the cardstock was originally more aloft and less compressed.Īpollo 13 lithium hydroxide canister mockup before treatment note that the hose is removed as it was detached from the object The weight of the hose combined with the failed adhesive of the duct tape caused rips in the plastic, distortions in the cardstock, misplacement of several pieces of duct tape, detachment of the hose, and deformation of the plastic bag. Gravity and time had taken its toll on this artifact. Therefore, like any conservation treatment, the care of the artifact was prominently at the forefront of all discussions.Īs can be imagined, such a jury-rigged piece of equipment came with its own set of conservation concerns. While this was not the original mockup created during the Apollo 13 mission (the original “mailbox” was left on the LM which was jettisoned before reentry), the artifact captures the ingenuity of the engineers and serves as an important historical “document” of the event. The replica of the modified lithium hydroxide cannister is slated for display in the new Destination Moon exhibition (scheduled to open in 2022). To capture this great moment in NASA history, in 1975 the National Air and Space Museum commissioned a replica from the original personnel who had worked on the Apollo 13 mission. Photograph of Swigert and the LiOH canister on board the LM (NASA image AS12-62-9004) The filters in the lunar module and the command module (CM) were not interchangeable due to differences in shape, so Mission Control engineers back in Houston had to get creative to use the CM filters with the system on the LM, using only materials the astronauts had available to them in the spacecraft. While oxygen supplies were sufficient for three, the carbon dioxide produced by the astronauts exceeded the capacity of the onboard LM lithium hydroxide filters. Lovell, Swigert, and Haise piled into the lunar module (LM), a craft built for two, aborted the lunar landing, and began the necessary steps to return home. The mission to get to the Moon quickly turned into a challenge to return safely back to Earth.
However, disaster struck before the crew reached their destination: An explosion on one of the service module’s oxygen tanks caused damage to the spacecraft. On April 11, 1970, the Apollo 13 astronauts launched from Kennedy Space Center. Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise were meant to be the third Apollo crew to journey to the Moon on a lunar landing mission.
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