Jim Lovell (CDR)

They have got a procedure for … the lithium hydroxide …

Jim Lovell (CDR)

… on secondary. We'll let it go to 15. Why don't you get on a headset, and I'll be down … for …

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Aquarius, Houston. Go ahead.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay Jack's up with me now and you all … procedure for making these lithium hydroxide devices, and soon as he gets on his helmet, he'll be ready to copy, and then he'll get started making one.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Roger that, Jim. Understand —

Jim Lovell (CDR)

I'll give Jack the headset for a while and he'll copy down your instructions.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jim. I didn't copy your second thought. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Key moment Collecting materials to make the CO2 scrubbers: I'll give Jack the headset and let him copy the instructions.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jim. The way I thought it might be best to do it would be to have you gather the equipment and let us talk you through your procedure while you do it. Now, maybe you could give Jack the headset and—and—get the equipment together, and we'll talk you through the procedure. I think it'll be a little easier to do that way than if you tried to copy it all down—and then go do it.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay. Do you have any equipment listed? I'll just get it and give it to him and I can just sit here where I am.

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Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. I think the equipment you'll need will be two command module lithium hydroxide canisters, a roll of the gray tape, the two LCGs, because we're going to use the bags from the LCGs, and one—one LM cue card—one of those cardboard cue cards which you will cut off about an inch and a half out from the ring. Now, I think that's all we'll need. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay. … Okay, Houston.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay. That's two lithium hydroxide canisters, one roll of that special gray tape, two LCGs which we're going to use the bags from, one LM cue card and …

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. That's affirmative, Jim. If you'll just cut the cue card, which is a handy piece of stiff paper the right size, about an inch and a half from the rings. Just cut off the ring holes, in other words, and you'll have a card about 11 inches long and probably 6 inches wide, something like that.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay, … I'll have Jack gather up the stuff.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

… that roll of gray tape.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

… Okay. … and … plastic bags.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Yes. Bring it down here. One LM cue card. I get that.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. I got the canisters.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay, Houston; Aquarius.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Yes. Aquarius, Houston. Go ahead.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

We have gathered the materials, and I can put Jack on the headset and he can copy the instructions copy it to give them to him, or do you think they're too detailed?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Why don't you put him on the headsets, Jim, and I'll read it out to him.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jack. Did anybody ever tell you that you got a 60-day extension on your income tax. Over.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Yes. I think—I think somebody said that when you are out of your country, you get a 60-day extension.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay; right. Okay. I'm ready to start into the procedure. When you answer me back, speak up—speak up into the microphone, because our downlink is pretty noisy. The first thing we want you to do, and we'll do this on one canister, and then let you go ahead and repeat it on the second. So take one of the LCGs and cut off the outer bag. By cutting along one the heat seals; do it carefully and close to the heat seal, because we may have to use the outer bag if we damage the inner bag. So go ahead and do that, and then we'll do the next step.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. Take an LCG, cut the outer bag by the heat seal. Be careful not to damage the inner bag. Right?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Right. Just cut along one side.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Hey, Houston, Odyssey—or Aquarius. We've done that.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jack. Now—now remove the inner bag from the outer bag, and cut the inner bag, also, along one of the heat seals down one side.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. Remove the inner bag from the outer bag, cut the inner bag along the heat seal along one side.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. That's correct. Do that, and report.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Joe. We've got that done.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jack. Now you can put the LCG itself; that is, take it out of the inner bag, put it in the outer bag, and stow it some place; we recommend U-1, but you can stow it wherever it's convenient.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

… outer bag … I'd stow it back in …

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Joe. We've got that.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. Now pick up one of the lithium hydroxide canisters, and let me describe which end is which. It's approximately square on one—one of the vented flat ends, has the strap, and that end we call the top, the end opposite we call the bottom. Is that clear? Over.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. I've got it, Joe.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. Now then, we're—we want you to take the tape and cut out two pieces about 3 feet long, or a good arm's length, and what you're—what we want you to do with them is to make two belts around the sides of the canister, one belt near the top and one belt near the bottom, with the sticky side out; wrap it around, sticky side out, as tight as possible. It'll probably take both of you to get it nice and snug. Over.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. Now we've got to make the belt real taut here.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Real tight. And then …

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jack. Did you have —

Unidentified crew member

— Hey, Houston, are you reading?

Jack Swigert (CMP)

— We've got the two belts around the top and the one around the bottom all done.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, fine. The next step now is to anchor that tape, and the way we want you to do that is to cut about a 2-foot length off the roll and then tear it lengthwise so that you have two strips about 2 feet long and about a half an inch wide. And you'll wrap those around the canister at right angles, more or less, to the tape that you've got so that it goes across the top and across the bottom; and when it goes across the top and the bottom, put it so that it's outboard of the center hole and try to get it over one of the ridges between the screens, so that it won't block the flow. Is that clear? Over.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. I've got a cut length right here and we'll tear it lengthwise … and I'm going to go around right here at this ridge all the way around at right angles and anchor it …

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Joe, just to clarify that, sticky end down. Right? On the tape that I am putting on now?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

I didn't quite copy that, Jack. Say again.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. That will be the sticky end down on the container, right?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Oh, that's correct. I forgot to say that. That's right.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

… hold that one right here, if I can set it.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Joe; Aquarius. We've got that done.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jack. The next step is to get the EVA cue card and use it to form an arch over the top of the canister; just tuck one short end under one ridge on the top the other one against the ridge on the other side so that it forms a rounded arch over the top of the canister. You see, Jack, what we're going to do is slip the bag over this whole assembly and the cue card will serve to keep the bag from being sucked down against the screen. Over.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. And when you've done that, to hold the arch in place, just run a strip of tape across the side of the—that is, across the top of the arch, and anchor it down to the sticky strips along each side.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. I got the idea. Okay. Let me just repeat it here. Take a cue card, form an arch over the top, bringing it under the side here. When we're through, run a piece of tape from the sides across the top of that to anchor to the other side.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

The top. … Across the top.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Looks like you're going to have to cut the cue card slightly.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Doesn't have to be really … over that the only thing we're … we can just take the scissors and cut off the edge here. The only thing this does, Jim, is prevent this from being sucked down into the container.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Still going to need some more tape. Cut off the end. Okay. Whack off the bottom. …

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Joe. We've got that arch built, and it's all taped in securely.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jack. The next step is to stop up the bypass hole, which is the hole in the center of the bottom of the canister; we want to stop that up because we don't want to bypass the flow; and I forgot to tell you to get something to stick in that hole. We recommend that you either use a wetwipe, or cut off a piece of sock and stuff it in there, or you could probably even crumble up some tape and use that. Over.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. We'll start plugging up the bypass hole.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Plug that hole. We can either—we can put some either—Let's cut a piece of your towel there.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Houston; Aquarius. We have the bypass hole all plugged up.

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Spoken on April 15, 1970, 1:22 p.m. UTC (53 years, 11 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Aquarius. The next step is take the inner LCG bag that you cut open, and slip it over the top of the canister, when you do that, orient it so that the ears of the bag, that is, the corners should stick out on the closed end—are oriented along the open ends of the arch, because we're going to snip one of those corners to stick the hose in. Pull it down until it fits snugly over the arch. Over.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Joe. Slip the bag over the canister so that the arch is at the bottom of the bag and that the ears are along oriented along, let's see—I guess it would be—would be at the sides of the arch.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Depends on what you mean by sides—over the—the open ends of the arch.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Right, the open ends of the arch.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Joe. We've got that done.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. Now press the bag against the sticky belts that we put on the sides of the canister. If there is any excess material, just kind of pleat it, so that it makes a fairly tight seal, and then take another 3-foot strip of sticky tape and wrap it around the outside of the bag opposite the bottom—the bottom sticky belt—to make a nice tight seal.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. I'll do it. Okay. Now they want two strips around here to make a tight seal.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Joe. We've got the canister inside the bag, two strips around the sides of the bag, real tight, and both sealed.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay; real fine. Now there's probably a couple of inches of excess bag sticking our around the bottom of the canister. To prevent this from sucking in against the bottom screen, we'd like you to trim it off with the scissors, and when you've done that, we'd like you to cut two more strips of tape about 12 inches long or so, cut the—tear them lengthwise to get four pieces 12 inches long and 1/2-inch wide, and then use those four strips to secure the bag by passing the strips from the sides of the canister outside the bag around the bottom of the canister and back up the other side, and when you do this, just as you did on the top, make them go outboard of the hole and in between the screens. Over.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. You want me to trim the excess material that's sticking off here; trim it at the edge of that canister? Or do you want any excess left over?