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New image-enhancing techniques reveal in unprecedented detail what life was like aboard the ill-fated Apollo 13 space capsule.
50 years ago, the spacecraft suffered an explosion that endangered the lives of the three astronauts on board.
Not surprisingly, given the situation in which they were struggling to survive, few images were taken of those moments.
However, imaging specialist Andy Saunders was able to produce sharp photos from a low-quality 16mm film shot by the crew.
One of the techniques used by Saunders is known as “stacking”, in which many images are assembled on top of each other to improve the details of the photo.
Apollo 13 crew members Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise were supposed to carry out NASA’s third moon landing mission. But on the way to the Moon an explosion in the service module caused an oxygen leak.
Astronaut Jack Swigert reported the incident to the control center with the now immortal (and sometimes misquoted) phrase: “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”
The part of the capsule designed for the return after the mission – the command module (MC) – had to be turned off to conserve its resources. The crew had to move to live in the Lunar Module (ML) as a lifeguard.
But the ML was designed to keep just two astronauts on the lunar surface for two days. NASA experts on the ground had to devise a way to make the most of three astronauts for four days.
Lovell, Swigert, and Haise circled the Moon and made their way to Earth in a cold, wet module, with little drinking water.
Despite the difficulties, the crew managed to record life on board, and that film served as a basis for Saunders to enhance the images that give a new perspective on the struggle to survive that the astronauts faced.
“One of the most shocking things about the 16mm film is how calm the crew shows, the conditions and the critical tasks ahead of them,” Saunders told BBC News.
“That perhaps hides his true feelings because we know that the crew actually doubted that he would return home alive.”
Dehydrated food had to be mixed with hot water, which was not available. Lovell later acknowledged that he hardly ate after the accident and lost 6 kilos in those days.
Astronauts had to dry the wet control panels for fear of a short circuit. That would have been catastrophic in that closed environment.
Happily, the reentry into Earth’s atmosphere went as calculated and the crew returned safely.
To make the images photographic quality, Saunders had to realign multiple parts of the images and highlight the details.
He used commercial software, manipulating contrast, adjusting color, and correcting distortion caused by the camcorder’s wide-angle lens.
More restored images from the Apollo missions, including those from Apollo 13, can be viewed here -> Andy Saunders’ Twitter account
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