Fastenings: Duct Tape

Fastenings: Duct (and other) Tape

Copyright © 2008 by the Editors of Working on the Moon.
Last revised 12 August 2008.

This Apollo 9 TV screen grab shows a roll of grey duct tape
to the left of center in the Apollo 9 Command Module in Earth orbit.

1. Summary

Prior to Apollo 16, the crews had a roll of duct tape in the LM but didn't take one outside. A preflight, handwritten addition to page 2-1 of the flown Apollo 16 LM Lunar Surface Checklist adds a 25-foot roll of tape to the contents of the Equipment Transfer Bag (ETB) during EVA-1 Preps. (Other handwritten changes on the page were made on the Moon by Charlie Duke after the delayed landing forced revisions of plans.) The roll of tape stayed in the ETB. Consequently, Duke and Young always had a roll of tape with them, transferring it back and forth between the cabin and the surface in the ETB. The Apollo 17 crew did the same.

Generally, tape was used for repairs and equipment modificiation. Most famously, duct tape was used in the construction of a makeshift device that let Command Module lithium hydroxide canisters be used with the LM Enviromental Control System to prevent a build up of carbon dioxide during Apollo 13. It was also used for such purposes as making a replacment fender for the Apollo 17 Rover, repairing Jim Irwin's broken OPS antenna on Apollo 15, and holding open the solar panels on the Apollo 17 SEP transmitter.

2. Lessons

Tape worked well when used in the LM cabin provided that, prior to taking a taped item out into the lunar vacuum, gas bubbles were pushed out from under the tape. Taping jobs done on the lunar surface were more problematic because of the dust that covered most surfaces, including the astronauts' gloves. One piece of tape could be used to remove at least some of the dust from a surface before another piece was applied. Pieces of tape could be torn off the roll while wearing the gloves, but care was needed to ensure that an adequate length of tape remained untouched and dust free.

"Good old-fashioned American gray tape doesn't stick to lunar-dust-covered fenders." - Gene Cernan

3. Tape used in a clean environment

Detail from AS13-62-8929 showing some of the duct tape
used in construction of the adaptor made during Apollo 13
so that square CSM LiOH cannisters could be used in the LM during Apollo 13.

Mission	Activity or Topic	Time, Image, or Source	Notes
Apollo 9	Duct tape in CM	TV frame grab	Jim McDivitt and a piece of duct tape on an EVA guard
Apollo 9	Duct Tape in CM	Apollo 9 Duct Tape in 2007 ( small and large versions)	The EVA guard seen in the Apollo 9 TV frame grab is now in a private collection. A 2007 photo shows the piece of duct tape still in place.

Apollo 11	TV/Monitor Assembly	Technical Debriefing, Sect. 6.18	They used tape to attach the TV monitor to the camera to cut down on the number of cables floating around.
Apollo 11	TV/Monitor Assembly	AS11-36-5385	View from the Command Module of Neil in the tunnel, with his upper body in the LM, using the TV to document the LM inspection on the way out to the Moon. Photo shows the duct tape used to attach the monitor to the camera.
Apollo 11	Comm headset modification	Technical Debriefing, Sect. 20.19	Mike uses adhesive tape to tape the long-eared comm tube to his ear, because the headset "drives me crazy after a couple of hours, not to mention falling off all the time."
Apollo 11	Waste Control	Technical Debriefing, Sect. 25.2	Complaint about the amount of waste volume resulting from the food packaging. By plan or otherwise, they used tape to compress the waste into as small a volume as possible, but that was time consuming.

Apollo 13	Canister Adaptor	AS13-62-8929	Photograph of the adaptor made from duct tape and other materials so that square, Command Module lithium lydroxide canisters could be used in the LM.
Apollo 13	Canister Adaptor	Apollo 13 Mission Report, Sect. 6.7	Discussion of the adaptor and its use

Apollo 14	Dim-Light Photography	Apollo 14 Mission Report, Sect. 9.12.6	Various light sources that would have interferred with the dim-light photography were taped.

4. Tape used for repairs, etc. in the lunar module cabin

Mission	Activity or Topic	Time, Image, or Source	Notes
Apollo 11	Data Acquisition Camera (DAC) focus control	Technical Debriefing, Sect. 20.19	During a discussion about photography aspects of the flight plan showing up late and not being well thought out, Buzz mentions that he had to use tape the keep the DAC focus at infinity.

Apollo 15	EVA-1 Prep, tape used to help prevent PLSS from catching on protrusions in the cabin	119:16:30	Scott, from the 1971 Technical Debrief - "We started having some problems hanging up in the cabin. I think that they were magnified by the one-sixth-g environment because we didn't compress the suits as much as in one g, and I think we were both riding a little bit higher, and a little lighter. Turn-arounds within the cabin were very difficult, and my hang-up problems were on the mounting lever, or shaft, that holds the PLSS in the recharge station. Jim finally figured that I was hanging up on that handle, and we put some tape on it, across the handle (opening) on subsequent EVAs, which did help. It was also hanging up on the corner of the Flight Data File, which is a sharp corner, and also on the DSEA (Data Storage and Electronics Assembly) guard, the wire cover. It's very crowded in there, and it takes a lot of time in moving about the cabin to prevent hang-ups. And I think we lost, overall, quite a bit of time."

Apollo 15	EVA-1 Prep, OPS antenna, initial repair	118:13:17	Irwin, from the 1971 Technical Debrief - "I might make one note. When I unstowed my PLSS, I noticed that there was a large chunk chewed out of the antenna. About half the width of the antenna was gone (over a one-inch length). Like somebody had taken a pair of snippers and snipped a piece out of it, right at the base, about a couple of inches from the base of the connection. We put a piece of tape around it at that weak point and, on EVA-1, we pressed ahead." They did not mention the flaw to Houston until 141:39:51, during EVA-2 preparations
Apollo 15	OPS antenna repair, late in EVA-1	AS15-86-11603	A detail shows Jim's upright antenna with a piece of tape wrapped around the base.
Apollo 15	OPS antenna repair, EVA-2 preparations	141:39:51	Dave discovers that Jim's OPS antenna has sheared off just below the nick they discovered and taped prior to EVA-1. Dave tries to devise a way of securing the antenna in an upright condition but, at 141:44:01, CapCom Joe Allen passes along a suggestion that Dave lay the antenna horizontally on top of the OPS, in contact with the remaining stub, and tape it into position. At 141:47:19, Dave tells Joe that taping the antenna in a horizontal position is going to work best.
Apollo 15	EVA-2, Jim's OPS antenna repair	AS15-92-12424	A detail shows the tape job Dave did during EVA-2 preps to secure Jim's broken antenna to the top of his OPS.
Apollo 15	OPS antenna repair	11603-12424 comparison	A comparison of photo details
Apollo 15	EVA-2 Prep, cleaning up water leak	140:38:47	Houston asked them to put the water in a cans that had contained the LiOH canisters. Now, as a follow-up to the discussion at 139:06:20, Houston asks that they confirm that they haven't taped the cans closed so securely that they won't depressurize at cabin depress. Dave and Jim tell Hosuton that they did not need to use tape.
Apollo 15	Tape used to cover suit rips has come off, EVA-2 Close-out	149:03:02	Jim notices "that tape came off (the back of) your PLSS, Dave ... it's ripped on both sides now." Evidently, Dave caught his PLSS on something and they repaired the rip with tape. A detail from EVA-2 photo AS15-90-12219 shows what may be a small tear on the righthand edge of the back of Dave's PLSS. The tape may have come off because it was rubbed off by the same object that made the original tear or because the tape hadn't been strongly bonded to the dust-impregnated fabric.
Apollo 15	Stowing rock box in the cabin after EVA-2	148:39:34	They are unable to properly stow the EVA-2 rock box. "We couldn't get the rod and pins engaged in the side of the bulkhead to stow that box. So we eventually lifted off with that box sort of loose, although I put a piece of tape across the thing. But we never could get that box stowed." They stowed two rock boxes on this bulkhead; this one was above the other.
Apollo 15	Taping the caps on the core stems	After 168:22:06	CapCom asks them to tape the caps 'on the long core stem' before the depress for final jettison. When they brought to cores into the cabin, they had no internal pressure. After cabin repressurization, cabin pressure would presumably kept the caps sealed and prevented any cabin oxygen from leaking in. However, by taping the caps, they are reducing the chances of the caps coming loose at depress if any cabin oxygen had leaked into the stems.

Apollo 16	EVA-1 Prep, taping jettison bag closed	118:58:42	As planned, used BSLSS bag for jettison after first rest period. Because of the delayed landing, bag much fuller than expected. "To tie the bag up, we finally ended up wrapping tape around it. It was really a marginal operation."
Apollo 16	EVA-2 Post, OPS antenna repair	154:14:38	CDR antenna cracked at the tip. Houston has them trim the antenna and then use tape to reinforce the top.

Apollo 17	Making a replacement fender after EVA-1	126:15:46	CapCom tells the crew, "We've been doing some thinking down here about how to fix the fender. We'll work on it while you guys are getting some rest, (but we think) it's going to involve using utility clamps, from inside your LM there, instead of tape, to fasten some sort of stiff material onto the Rover in place of the missing fender." Gene replies that they have been thinking along the same line because tape "just won't hack it up here," because of the dust. During the rest period, Support Team Engineer Terry Neal devised the way to make and install a replacment fender and John Young tested the procedures wearing a presure suit in a vacuum chamber. John describes the procedures to Gene and Jack at 137:19:09 and, in more detail, at 138:32:00, after the rest period. The replacment fender was made in the cabin by taping together four unneded, contingency maps and later attaching the new fender to the Rover with clamps taken out from the cabin. At 137:24:45, John mentions that experience had been gained, earlier in Apollo, with the use of duct tape in the thermal vacuum chamber and stresses the need to press out any air bubbles while taping the maps together. Once out on the surface at the start of EVA-2, Gene and Jack start installation of the new fender about 141:07:19 and complete it in about five minutes.
Apollo 17	Repair of sample bag holder, after EVA-2 in the cabin	161:24:03	Jack reports that, in repairing the sample-bag holder on his camera, he used some of the tape that had bundled food packages together. Jack commented that it worked better for this repair job because it was thinner.

5. Tape used outside the LM on the lunar surface

This view from the back of the Apollo 17 SEP transmitter
shows the two pieces of tape that were applied to keep the outer two
solar panels flat and in alignment with the fixed, center panel.
The ends of the tape pieces wouldn't stick to the back of the panels
because of dust picked up from the gloves.

Mission

Activity or Topic

Time, Image, or Source

Notes

Apollo 12

Flag deployment

116:16:17 and 116:17:45

The mechanism that holds the flag out straight was broken, causing the flag to droop. During the mission, Pete wished he had a piece of tape to make a repair. In 1991, he explained, "We didn't have any rolls of tape (outside the LM cabin). The tape that I'm referring to, I think, is things like (a piece of tape that) held the lid on the canister of the S-Band antenna. And I'm sure that stuff was either trampled on or gone. I don't really remember this, but I was trying to fix the flag."

Apollo 12

Scratches on the hatch, EVA-1 Closout Ingress

118:51:38

While on the porch preparing to crawl into the cabin, Al wonders if they should put some tape over some scratches they made in the hatch at the start of the EVA. He then decides that it won't be necessary and Houston concurs.

Apollo 15

Tape used to secure rock box in cabin for liftoff

148:39:34

During the EVA-2 close-out, Jim mentions that, at the end of EVA-1, he had trouble getting the rock box to shut and had to bang it closed with his fist. During the Technical Debrief, he said "we couldn't get the rod and pins engaged in the side of the bulkhead in the LM to stow that box. So we eventually lifted off with that box sort of loose, although I put a piece of tape across the thing. But we never could get that box stowed." In hindsight, the problem was that part of a sample bag was caught in the rear hinge.

Apollo 15

Decision to take some tape outside, EVA-2 wake-up and preps

138:51:57,
141:44:46, and
142:21:32

While Dave and Jim pack the Equipment Transfer Bag (ETB) pack for EVA-2, CapCom Gordon Fullerton requests that they wrap a 1-foot (0.3) meter piece of tape around the CDR's camera so they can use the tape outside to secure the TV cable to the high-gain mast to keep it from interfering with the camera. Later, CapCom Joe Allen suggests that Dave "put some (tape) in your pocket for later", in case they need to make any repairs outside. About a half hour later, Dave decides to put a couple of pieces of tape on his cuff checklist, the only reasonably clean surface he has. The Apollo 16 and 17 crews will keep a roll of tape in the Equipment Transfer Bag so they will always have tape available.

Apollo 15

TV cable taped, EVA-2

142:32:52

Joe asks Dave to tape the TV cable to the high-gain mast. As per Fullerton's earlier request, Dave has already done that with one of the pieces he brought out on his checklist.

Apollo 15

TV cable taped, EVA-2

Before and after of cable taping to the high-gain mast
( large or small )

A detail from AS15-86-11602 (left) shows the configuration at the end of EVA-1 of the cables connecting the TV camera to the Television Control Unit (TCU) and the High-Gain antenna to the Lunar Communications RElay Unit (LCRU). A detail from AS15-88-11866 shows the configuration of those two cable early in EVA-3. A cable connecting the Low-Gain antenna to the LCRU is also labelled. Finally, a detail from AS15-87-11780, taken from Dave's seat late in EVA-2, shows where Dave taped the cable to the mast.

Apollo 15

Rock box closure,
EVA-2 close-out

148:41:33
and
149:05:10

Jim has trouble closing the EVA-2 rockbox and comments "Well, I think we probably have a seal, if we keep these handles in this position, because the seal is already made. If we could tape those handles down, we'd probably have a vacuum in there." After CapCom Joe Allen, asks Dave to handcarry the rockbox up the ladder because of the problematic seal, Jim repeats the suggestion at 149:05:39.

Apollo 16

Sample bag holder,
EVA-1 traverse preps