Day 1: Apollo 13 Crisis Simulation
STEP 1: Before you simulate a specific portion of the famous Apollo 13 mission involving Mission Control, take a few minutes to watch the short documentary below. It will give you important background on the real-life story and help you better understand the challenges the astronauts and engineers faced.
STEP 2: The video above introduced the issue of carbon dioxide poisoning during the Apollo 13 mission. The clips below show a Hollywood recreation of how the Apollo 13 team worked with Mission Control to solve the problem. This is the famous “square peg in a round hole” fix. Watch carefully to see how Mission Control guided the astronauts in building a new CO₂ filter using only the materials available on the spacecraft.
STEP 3: Your challenge is tostep into the shoes of the Apollo 13 mission control under pressure. Using the materials provided—and a 3D-printed square peg and round hole from your teacher—your task is to build a working fix, just like the real crew did. You’ll have limited time, and lives are on the line. Once finished, present your solution and explain how it works. The clock is ticking… go! When you are done, upload a clear images of your solution using the QR code below. In the “Subject” area, include your first name and/or your team members’ names. Click here to see all solutions.
STEP 4: Watch the videos below to see how this problem was solved—both in real life and in the movie. Then, compare your solution with theirs. What did you do similarly? What was different? Anything in common? Begin the second video at the 29:30 mark.