2007-08-28, Critical Situation: Apollo 13 阿波罗13号

In Houston, Flight director Kranz is trying to make sense of the barrage 1 of information.

I am completely surrounded with reports coming in that I don’t fully 2 understand, but frankly 3, problems are our business, and I thought we are going to solve these problems, get back on track,er, no big deal.

Well, you don't believe that O2 tank 1 pressure , do you... No,no,no, Surge tank 's good. We may have an instrumentation problem. Roger.)

I homed in on EECOM Sy Liebergot, principally because he has the responsibility for those things you need to stay alive in space, power, oxygen, pressure, heat, water.

Let's get our instrumentation that lined up to you guys. OKay, do we have instrumentation problems?

I am realizing that I am the focal point of all this, nothing to brag 4 a bill . Can we tell them anything, do we have a real problem or is it instrument?

While Houston struggles to make sense of the data stream, Lovell checks the ship's tank gages. He is in for a shock.

The quantity gage 5 on one of our oxygen tanks read zero and I could actually see the needle go down on the second quantity gage, very slowly.

Since oxygen is used both for breathing and as a source of power, it is vital they find the cause of the hemorrhage.

I knew we hadn't attacked the spacecraft, obviously, we are still breathing. There was no gaping 6 hole that was leting air out.

With no sign of a meteor impact, they must search elsewhere. Lovell takes a look outside his window.

And I can’t tell you today why I did it. But I saw it escaping at a high rate of speed from the rear end of my spacecraft, the gas is substance. I did not take much intelligence on my part to realize that the gas is escaping and the needle on my second and last tank were one of the same. And very shortly, we will be completely out of oxygen.

The cold chill of realization 7 came in that we had a real problem. And I don’t know what to do about it.

Kranz realizes that 56 hours into their mission, Apollo 13 is poised 8 on the brink 9 of catastrophe 10.

Then I move into survival mode. Okay, our flight controler settle down, quit your guess and let's start work on this problem.

Okay, we've got 2 good IC processes, what are they I will tell you now.
It tells me that...

But Liebergot still has no clue what's happening or how to fix it.

(Now, just give me about two more minutes, alright? Okay, take your time.)

I had to find out where the leak was, I tried to isolate 11 it, I tried to save the roll, the remaining part of oxygen, otherwise crews were gonna be dead.

Liebergot realize his only hope of isolating 12 the leak is to close valves that feed oxygen into two of the fuel cells . But closing these valves is irreversible . Those two fuel cells will not work again.

It is his final option, that is my final option.

It’s a gamble but it is their only chance.