Word: aquarius
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...astronauts began preparing for their final separation maneuver. Climbing into Odyssey, they switched on its oxygen tanks and batteries and sealed the hatch shut. Then the crew exploded the small bolts connecting the command module with the LM. Propelled by the release of air in the connecting tunnel, the Aquarius drifted rapidly away, its lifeboat function reliably and amply fulfilled. "LM jettison," reported Apollo 13. "O.K.," replied Mission Control. "Farewell, Aquarius, and we thank...
...first time in long hours, the tired men in Mission Control breathed easier. But the astronauts did not. Houston soon noticed that carbon dioxide exhaled by the astronauts was building up to a dangerous level in the lunar module's atmosphere; lithium hydroxide air purifiers in Aquarius, designed to absorb the potentially lethal gas for only relatively short periods of time, were becoming saturated. The deactivated command module was equipped with more purifiers, but their canisters were not interchangeable with the LM's. Mission Control instructed the astronauts to lead a second hose into the command module and connect...
Picking up speed under the increasing pull of the earth's gravity, Apollo was now rapidly approaching its narrow re-entry slot. To make sure of a precise reentry, Lovell and Haise fired one more brief burst from Aquarius' thrusters. Swigert meanwhile took up his post in the command module pilot's seat. Looking out of the window, he commented: "That earth is whistling in like a high-speed train...
...minutes later, Apollo 13 began its novel separation procedures. Again hitting the thrusters, Lovell forced Aquarius against the command and service modules. Almost simultaneously, Swigert fired several explosive bolts, detaching the service module from Odyssey. Lovell also fired the LM's thrusters again. The "push-pull" tactic shoved the service module away from Aquarius and Odyssey, enabling the astronauts to see the disabled module for the first time. It was an incredible sight. The module had lost an entire 15-foot-long panel covering Bay 4, and a tangle of wiring and debris trailed out of the gaping hole. Using...
Forty-five minutes later, a helicopter ferried the three astronauts to the Iwo Jima. Smiling and remarkably steady on their feet, the astronauts were greeted by cheers from sailors and a fitting musical tribute from the Iwo Jima's band: Aquarius. Nine doctors on hand to meet the space travelers found them in surprisingly good health?except for Fred Haise's mild urinary-tract infection?after their exhausting and agonizing adventure...