# What would've happened if the astronaut who stayed in the Apollo command module died? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 11, 2023, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483 "2023-04-11T02:01:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/1 "2023-04-11T02:01:17Z")
During Apollo missions only two astronauts actualy landed on the Moon while the 3rd remained in the command module in lunar orbit. If the 3rd astronaut died or became unresponsive would the other 2 astronauts still have been able to dock with the command module and return to Earth? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/2 "2023-04-11T02:06:01Z")
If the moon-landing astronauts were able to blast off from the moon and connect with the command module, I’m sure the answer would be yes, and they had scenarios in place for this exact sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/3 "2023-04-11T02:07:24Z")
wouldn’t the command module need to be piloted to meet the upcoming lunar module? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/4 "2023-04-11T02:16:09Z")
The wikipedia article on the Lunar Module says that docking was under the control of the Command Module: > Later, the redundant forward docking port was removed, which meant the Command Pilot gave up active control of the docking to the Command Module Pilot; he could still see the approaching CSM through a small overhead window. > **[Apollo Lunar Module](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Lunar_Module)** > > The Apollo Lunar Module (LM /ˈlɛm/), originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lunar lander spacecraft that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the United States' Apollo program. It was the first crewed spacecraft to operate exclusively in the airless vacuum of space, and remains the only crewed vehicle to land anywhere beyond Earth. > Structurally and aerodynamically incapable of flight through Earth's atmosphere, the two-stage lunar module was ferr... ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/5 "2023-04-11T02:26:40Z")
I think Richard Nixon would have pulled [that speech](https://www.space.com/if-apollo-11-astronauts-died-nixon-contingency-speech.html) out of his desk drawer so he could go on live TV to deliver it. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/6 "2023-04-11T02:40:29Z")
I would also question whether the command module’s docking mechanism could be opened or not (that is, for the lunar module to dock with it) without a conscious, live human inside the CM to do it - kind of like having someone inside a house to open the locked front door. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/7 "2023-04-11T03:25:04Z")
While that may have been true - for the very scenario the OP considers - if the engineers could have designed it so that this was not required they probably would have done so. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/8 "2023-04-11T03:27:25Z")
There was a contingency capability of a space walk from the LM to CM. This allowed for a non opening docking hatch. In the case of a non responsive CM pilot this presents some grim outcomes. Whether the CM hatch could be opened from the outside by a suited astronaut is another matter. But it was redesigned to open outward, and quickly, after the fire. So it probably could. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/9 "2023-04-11T05:14:04Z")
That presents some interesting scenarios, for one LM astronaut to space walk over to the CM and open the hatch. The dead CM astronaut’s body would explode, wouldn’t it? There’d be blood and guts everywhere while the LM spacewalker crawled into the CM, sealed and pressurized it, and then commanded it during the docking process. Slime everywhere… ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/10 "2023-04-11T05:17:09Z")
Well maybe not… > Your body would cope better than expected in space without a spacesuit. Well, you’d still die, but at least you wouldn’t explode! > **[What would happen if you were in space without a spacesuit?](https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/what-would-happen-if-you-were-in-space-without-a-spacesuit)** > > Your body would cope better than expected in space without a spacesuit. Well, you'd still die, but at least you wouldn't explode! ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/11 "2023-04-11T05:58:17Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > That presents some interesting scenarios, for one LM astronaut to space walk over to the CM and open the hatch. The dead CM astronaut’s body would explode, wouldn’t it? > > There’d be blood and guts everywhere while the LM spacewalker crawled into the CM, sealed and pressurized it, and then commanded it during the docking process. No, bodies in vacuum do not explode as seen in _Outland_ or _Event Horizon_. Exposure to vacuum would basically desiccate the body, drawing out any fluids in mucus membranes. It wouldn’t be pretty, but not much different than a frozen corpse. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/12 "2023-04-11T06:02:09Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I would also question whether the command module’s docking mechanism could be opened or not (that is, for the lunar module to dock with it) without a conscious, live human inside the CM to do it - kind of like having someone inside a house to open the locked front door. Burglars have done that to my home twice. And I presume astronauts (and their many earth-bound engineers) are even smarter/ ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/13 "2023-04-11T06:26:21Z")
Yes, but burglars don’t have to perfectly seal the front door they busted after getting in. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/14 "2023-04-11T06:38:48Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > but burglars don’t have to perfectly seal the front door they busted after getting in. Indeed; one does not need to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere with a busted-in front door on your house. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/15 "2023-04-11T13:21:29Z")
An even worse scenario would be if the CM pilot had passed out or was otherwise incapacitated but still alive (and not in a pressure suit), as mentioned by velocity. If the LM crew had to EVA across and enter the CM from without, would they not have to sacrifice the CM pilot in order to get in? ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/16 "2023-04-11T13:51:53Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > would they not have to sacrifice the CM pilot in order to get in? I did say it had grim consequences. There is as close to zero chance the CM pilot would survive as you can get. Whilst a short time in vacuum is just survivable, the time to get an EVAing astronaut inside and closing the hatch would be well past any hope. > **[Space Suit Testing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO8L9tKR4CY%5C&feature=youtu.be)** > > The instantaneous effects on a human when exposed to near-vacuum conditions ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/17 "2023-04-11T14:23:13Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > grim consequences Grim consequences indeed. Imagine how awful that decision and moment would be for the two LM crewmembers. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/18 "2023-04-11T14:32:51Z")
That’s brutal. The guy is very fortunate! Has anyone died in testing? The tester said this was the only time it happened to someone _where they lived to tell about it._ ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/19 "2023-04-11T14:42:25Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Indeed; one does not need to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere with a busted-in front door on your house. I saw in a documentary that you can fix that with an Inanimate Carbon Rod… ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2023, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483/20 "2023-04-11T15:46:03Z")
One thing I think about during discussions like this is that Michael Collins said he had acute claustrophobia that manifested during simulation, but that he hid it because he didn’t want to get scrubbed. I mean, 38 or 39 yo was still young in the sixties, but I wonder what the other astronauts would’ve said had they known. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-wouldve-happened-if-the-astronaut-who-stayed-in-the-apollo-command-module-died/982483.md?page=2)