[APOLLO 13] SWIGERT WORKING ON THE "MAIL BOX," INSCRIBED BY HAISE. VINTAGE NASA "RED NUMBER" PHOTOGRAPH, APRIL 1970.

[APOLLO 13] 

SWIGERT WORKING ON THE "MAIL BOX." APRIL 1970.

Vintage NASA “Red Number” chromogenic print, 10 by 8 inches, “A Kodak Paper” watermark to verso. NASA image ID “NASA AS13-62-9004” printed in upper left margin in red; minor toning.

INSCRIBED and SIGNED by FRED HAISE: "THE TEMPORARY HOSE CONNECTION | BAD APPARATUS THAT SAVED US! | FRED HAISE | APOLLO 13 LMP" 

A unique view of the interior of the Apollo 13 LM. The present image captures Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert working on the temporary hose connection and apparatus that would allow the crew to move from the Command Module in order to use the Lunar Module as a "lifeboat". The "mail box" was an improvised arrangement that the astronauts built, enabling the CM lithium hydroxide canisters to scrub CO2 from the spacecraft's atmosphere. The "mail box" had been tested on the ground at the Manned Spacecraft Center before it was suggested to the Apollo 13 astronauts.