Excess Carbon Dioxide and Apollo 13?

Question

Does anyone know how the astronouts converted the excess CO2 that built up in their spacecraft into a breatable atmosphere?

Answer 1

Using materials that thay had on board, they modified Lithium Hydroxide scrubbers on the Lunar Module (LM), which were designed for two people and could last for up to 53 hours. With three people in the LM it was determined that the filters would be used up in 36 hours. Unless something was done the crew of Apollo 13 would be lost. The solution was to use the scrubbers from the Command Service Module (CSM), but they were configured differently from those of the LM. Using only materials available aboard the spacecraft Gene Kranz and his team came up with a way to use the CSM's scrubbers in the LM.

The crew gathered two LiOH canisters from the CSM, scissors, duct tape, cardboard from the LM's procedure manual and tubing used to circulate water and regulate the astronauts temperature in plastic wrapped thermal undergarments to be used on the moon. All of these items had to be assembled and joined to the LM's filter holder. This was all done as the level of CO2 was reaching dangerous levels in the LM and the crew was save from one of the many dangers they faced.

Answer 2

The panic was grossly exaggerated. CO2 is grossly misunderstood. CO2 is benign, beneficial, and inert. It has no toxic or narcotic properties, and becomes harmful only when it is inhaled in concentrations greater than 10%, at which point it causes loss of consciousness due to mild asphyxiation hypoxia. CO2 asphyxiation does not become lethal until inhaled concentrations rise above 30%. The CO2 concentrations in the cabin never approached problematic levels, and the CO2 could have easily been flushed from the capsule using available oxygen.

Answer 3

Yes. At that time the carbon dioxide was chemically removed from cabin atmosphere by reacting it with lithium hydroxide.

The chemical equation would be....
lithium hydroxide + carbon dioxide = lithium bicarbonate

synthesis reaction

LiOH + CO2 = LiHCO3

Answer 4

the final variables that be certain plant distribution are climate (temperatures, evapotranspiration, frosts, rainfall), water availability, topography (slope, component, elevation), and soils (geology). greater stages of carbon dioxide interior the ambience is very possibly having a internet result on the international warming style of previous due, that's maximum suitable to climate replace. remember climate is taken into consideration one of the final variables that determines plant distribution. Any differences in climate will for this reason replace plant distributions (will the flora be waiting to evolve to the recent soils, topography and water availability the place the climate favours them too?) i'm attentive to the better temperatures and decrease rainfall in south-west Western Australia already maximum suitable to the decreased density of jap Jarrah forests and a shrinking quantity. climate replace additionally will result upon water availability (yet another significant variable for flora). there's a lot of carbon dioxide accessible for flora interior the deserts and polar areas of the worldwide, even although very few (if any) flora improve in those areas. Carbon dioxide does grant greater beneficial means to enhance (and in shorter time classes) for flora, even although the greater significant limiting components for flora on earth are climate, water, topography and geology.

Answer 5

the best technology in CO2 filtration is inside the nuclear sub; of course these tech also have the same principle just like what those astronaut use however in atomic sub its more of a large scale filtration to provide purified air to all the crews.

Answer 6

They built a new filter using the materials they had on hand. They converted the filters from the LEM, which were the wrong shape.

Answer 7

They made a makeshift filter out of all kind of things to clean the air. Don't think it was easy, the filter was pretty complex.