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The Apollo 13 mission serves as a remarkable example of ingenuity and teamwork, notably involving the effort to filter carbon dioxide from the spacecraft’s cabin. The story of NASA’s crew systems chief, Ed Smylie, and his team’s rapid response to an astronauts’ emergency has been forever etched in space exploration lore. The tale involved a creative solution to fit a square component into a round space.
Ed Smylie’s Legacy and the Apollo 13 Carbon Dioxide Crisis
Orange Grove, Texas — Less than four hours after an explosion shook the Apollo 13 spacecraft en route to the moon, Ed Smylie recognized the escalating threat of carbon dioxide accumulation. The ensuing crisis saw Smylie and his crew devise an improvised air purification system using limited resources and incredible creativity.
Ed Smylie, NASA’s former crew systems chief, exhibits his team’s ingenious solution devised in April 1970 for removing carbon dioxide from the Apollo 13 lunar module’s atmosphere.
Ed Smylie passed away at 95 on April 21, 2025 — approximately 55 years after he and his team successfully engineered a way to cleanse the air for astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert during their perilous return to Earth. The team ingeniously repurposed a spacesuit hose, sock, plastic bag, cue cards, and duct tape to address the emergency.
In a 1999 interview with a NASA historian, Smylie modesty stated, “I suppose that was our 15 minutes of fame.” He clarified that while he is often credited for the solution, roughly 60 individuals were instrumental in crafting and executing the plan.
Inside the Apollo 13 lunar module, the astronaut-transfer tube offers a glimpse of the improvised carbon dioxide filter housing, constructed using square-shaped command module lithium hydroxide canisters. The design was conceptualized by Ed Smylie and his team of over 60 NASA engineers and contractors
It was crucial to ensure that the carbon dioxide exhaled by the astronauts did not accrue to fatal levels within the confined spacecraft.
ULITIMATE EMERGENCY
The Apollo 13 spacecraft featured two modules designed by separate contractors. The command module contained a cubic lithium hydroxide CO2 scrubber. Conversely, the lunar module, which served as the crew’s lifeboat, featured a cylindrical scrubber.
Smylie initially considered connecting the command module’s scrubbers to the lunar module. However, this strategy proved unfeasible, as the command module was decommissioned during the atmospheric re-entry sequence.
The Creative Solution Behind The “Mail Box”
Margaret Braithwaite, hunter of knowledge, proactively arranges the necessary information so that Smylie and his colleagues could validate the solution.
The team promptly procured the required canisters, allowing them to confirm the efficacy of their makeshift solution.
With the proposed fix confirmed, the subsequent challenge was communicating the construction procedures to the Apollo 13 crew.
Collaboration and Communication
The task of relaying the instructions to the Apollo 13 astronauts fell to Tony England, assigned by Thomas Kenneth “Ken” Mattingly.
Despite the seemingly intricate nature of the solution, Smylie insisted that the process was straightforward. “Although we garnered considerable attention and even mention from President Richard Nixon, I have always maintained that the filter was one element of the crisis that the public could grasp. The intricate details of the other repairs remain largely unappreciated.
The “mail box,” an improvised CO2 scrubber designed by Ed Smylie and his team demonstrating to others at NASA’s mission operations control room in Houston, Texas
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Though Smylie’s celebrated solution was a key factor in saving the Apollo 13 mission, his contributions to NASA extend far beyond this singular event.
Smylie was born on Christmas Day in 1929. After serving in the Navy, he earned his engineering degrees from Mississippi State University and a management degree from MIT. At Boeing, he designed air conditioning systems for supersonic transports and the Skybolt missile. His tenure at NASA began in 1962 and spanned over two decades, during which he held various prominent roles.
Smylie was honored with numerous accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, GlobalSpec’s Great Moments in Engineering Award, and numerous NASA medals.
Ed Smylie’s Enduring Impact
Upon retiring from NASA, Smylie held executive positions with several prominent corporations, including RCA, General Electric, Grumman, and the Mitre Corporation.
Ed Smylie departed this world, leaving behind a legacy of extraordinary innovation and resilience in the face of adversity.
Surviving family members include three children and grandchildren, a continuation of Smylie’s stellar influence.
Although Smylie’s work at NASA earned him widespread recognition and awards, the “mailbox”—his solution to what was a dire CO2 buildup during the Apollo 13 mission—remains as his most well-known accomplishment.
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