Apollo 13 (I) (1995)

Loren Dean: John Aaron - EECOM Arthur

Photos 

Quotes 

• Ken Mattingly : [after another power-up simulation fails]  I know this sequence works, John.

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : The sequence looks good, we're just over budget on the amperage.

  Ken Mattingly : By how much?

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : Three or four amps.

  Ken Mattingly : Goddamn it, John! Is it three or four?

  John Young : Four.

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : Four!

  Ken Mattingly : [sighs]  Four more amps...

  [He ponders for a moment] 

  Ken Mattingly : We know they have some power left in the LEM batteries, right?

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : Yeah.

  Ken Mattingly : We have an umbilical that provides power from the Command Module to the LEM.

  John Young : Right. It's a backup for the LEM power supply.

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : I'm listening.

  Ken Mattingly : So, reverse it. Reverse the flow and see if we can draw these four amps from the LEM batteries before we cut it loose. Why can't we do that?

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : [Looks at John]  We don't have a procedure for that, do we?

  John Young : You're gonna lose a lot in the transfer, Ken.

  Ken Mattingly : Yeah, yeah. But all we're talking about here is four amps.

• Ken Mattingly : Here's the order of what I want to do. I want to power up Guidance, E.C.S., Communications, warm up the pyros for the parachutes, and the command module thrusters.

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : The thrusters are gonna put you over budget on amps, Ken.

  Ken Mattingly : Well, they've been sitting at 200 below for four days, John. They've got to be heated.

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : Fine. Then trade off the parachutes, something.

  Ken Mattingly : Well, if the chutes don't open, what's the point?

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : Ken, you're telling me what you need. I'm telling you what we have to work with at this point. I'm not making this stuff up.

  Ken Mattingly : They're gonna need all these systems, John.

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : We do not have the power, Ken. We just don't have it.

  Ken Mattingly : Okay. I'm gonna go back and re-organize the sequencing again and find more power. Let's start from scratch. Clear the board.

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : [covering his mic, to John Young]  I don't know where the hell we're gonna find it.

• Technician : How much power have we got to work with?

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : Barely enough to run this coffee pot for nine hours.

• Ken Mattingly : Okay, spacecraft control to computer.

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : [seeing it go over budget on amperage]  Damn!

  Ken Mattingly : Damn. We overloaded. We used way too much power there. There must be a sneak circuit someplace between step seven and ten.

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : All right, which one has the leak?

  Ken Mattingly : Don't know that yet, John. The sequence was wrong. We just have to go back and try 'em one at a time.

  John Young : [poking his head into the sim]  You need a break, Ken?

  Ken Mattingly : If they don't get one, I don't get one.

• John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : Ken, glad you're here. You know what's going on?

  Ken Mattingly : Uh, John's brought me up to speed. What do we have left in the batteries?

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : We don't really know.

  Ken Mattingly : Well, we gotta get started on some shortcuts for power-up.

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : Yeah. You know how short?

  Ken Mattingly : Well, it's all in the sequencing, John. If we can skip what we don't absolutely need and turn things on in the right order, maybe...

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : I agree.

  Ken Mattingly : You started on a procedure?

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : Well, the engineers have tried, but, I mean, it's your ship. We gotta get you in there.

  Ken Mattingly : Okay. Frank, I need the sim cold and dark. Give me the exact same conditions they've got in there now. And I need, uh, present status of every instrument.

  Frank Borman : You got it.

  Ken Mattingly : I need a flashlight.

  [one is offered] 

  Ken Mattingly : That's not what they have up there. Don't give me anything they don't have on board.

• John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : Power is everything.

  Gene Kranz : What do you mean?

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : Without it, they don't talk to us, they don't correct their trajectory, they don't turn the heat shield around. We gotta turn everything off, now. They're not gonna make it to re-entry.

  Gene Kranz : What do you mean "everything"?

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : With everything on, the LEM draws 60 amps. At that rate, in 16 hours, the batteries are dead, not 45. And so is the crew. We gotta get them down to twelve amps.

• John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : We have to turn off the radars, cabin heater, instrument displays, the guidance computer, the whole smash.

  Jerry Bostick - FIDO White : Whoa! Guidance computer. What... what if they need to do another burn? Gene, they won't even know which way they're pointed.

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : The more time we talk down here, the more juice they waste up there. I've been looking at the data for the past hour.

  Gene Kranz : That's the deal?

  John Aaron, EECOM Arthur : That's the deal.