Where are the Apollo 13 lunar and service modules rigth now?

Answer 1

They would have both burned up on reentry.

The command module, lunar module and service modules all came back to Earth from the moon as a unit. The LM and SM were jettisoned before reentry because the CM is the only part of the Apollo craft designed to reenter the atmosphere.

The LM and SM would not both be still up there in orbit because the trajectory given to the entire craft was aimed at getting back to Earth, and there would have been no point to firing the engine on the LM to steer it away from Earth. No one would have been aboard to fire the engine in any case. And the SM was shot. Momentum would have brought them both down.

Edit: Re post below, the LM could not have been jettisoned some distance from Earth, as the astronauts needed it for life support until the last possible moment. Even if it was jettisoned a ways away, it would have, through sheer inertia, continued to travel on the same general path as the CM. When jettisoned, small reaction thrusters are fired to "pull away" from the other vehicle, but there's no significant change in the trajectory, certainly not one that would give either the LM or the SM enough of a push to send them either into Earth orbit or to reach Earth escape velocity.

Answer 2

The service module reentered the atmosphere and burned up while the command module reentered and splashed down normally.

The lunar module was jettisoned at quite a distance, however, and depending on the direction it was jettisoned it may have missed the earth completely or burned up as it reentered the atmosphere.

I believe I read in a space history book that it burned up, because a lot was made of the fact it contained a power source using plutonium, which has been shielded before the apollos went to the moon in case there was an accident. Plutonium is radioactive, but very poisonous as well, and it is the poisonous nature of it that gave most concern.

Answer 3

The lunar module pilot on ALL Apollo flights was never intended to actually fly the lunar module. The commander did this. The lunar module pilot's job was to monitor all the systems in the vehicle and keep the commander updated as to the ship's condition, altitude, speed etc. On Apollo 12, however, Alan Bean actually did fly the LEM when they were on the far side of the moon. Pete Conrad felt he owed it to Bean since they had gone through all the training together and he didn't feel it fair that the LM pilot didn't actually get to fly the LM.

Answer 4

The lunar module reentered the atmosphere over Fiji. I'm not sure what happened to the service module.

Answer 5

The lunar moduale and the service moduale are orbiting Earth.The command moduale reentered the earths atmoshere over the pacific