Would it be possible to find pieces of the Apollo 13 LEM on Earth?

Question

When the LEM re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, could any of it have survived? Where did it land if it did? How much would it be worth if found?

Answer 1

Yes, bottom of the Pacific Ocean, you probably aren't going to be allowed to sell what survived.

The SNAP-27 RTG is in the Tonga Trench but it was specifically designed to survive re-entry (and do so without letting any radioactive stuff out), it doesn't seem to be leaking any Plutonium but NASA does want to get it back.

It would be worth quite a lot of money if you were to find it but you might find yourself in a lot of trouble if you put it up on eBay.

There might be other stuff nearby, a pressure tank maybe but not anything that would have an intrinsic value.

Answer 2

Since it would have hit the atmosphere at about 25,000 miles an hour, and since, being a proper spacecraft, it was never intended to operate in an atmosphere, it is HIGHLY unlikely that any of it would have survived a re-entry. Objects in orbit, moving at about 60% of this speed, burn up completely on re-entry, with only the most massive pieces of material possibly surviving long enough to become meteorites. Mir and Skylab both plummeted to Earth with shielded film vaults and dense structural members that could have survived, but the minimalist nature of the LM, whose aluminum skin was thinner than a Coke can, was never intended to return to Earth. For that matter, it was never intended be used as a space tug, either.

Answer 3

HEY! .. I thought you stayed on that planet with the gaseous salt eater thingy? ..

To answer your question: ANYTHING is possible.. Where is the question .. and it would be worth whatever you want for it .. as long as you're willing to wait. There is a sucker born every minute .. just takes a little longer to meet them!