Module 7 Intro

Module 7—Chemical Analysis

Lesson 1—Limiting Reagents

 

Get Focused

 

The Apollo 13 lunar mission was one of the defining moments in the history of space exploration. On April 11, 1970, disaster struck when one of two oxygen tanks exploded, significantly reducing the amount of breathable air available to the astronauts.

 

Because the spacecraft was over 300 000 km from Earth at the time of the explosion, there was no choice but for the mission to complete its scheduled course.

 

While the amount of oxygen remaining in the one working tank was sufficient to last the duration of the mission, there was another problem. Because of the explosion, the three astronauts had to move into the lunar module, a part of the spacecraft intended for only two people. With every breath the astronauts took, they released carbon dioxide gas into the lunar module, overwhelming the capacity of the system to remove carbon dioxide from the air. Since a higher level of carbon dioxide in the air can be toxic, the challenge facing NASA engineers on the ground was to figure out a way to control the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air inside the spacecraft using materials aboard the vessel.

 

How did they do it?

 

Essential Questions

• How can limiting reagents be used to predict the amount of product for a chemical process?

Module 7: Lesson 1 Assignment

 

Save a copy of the Module 7: Lesson 1 Assignment to your course folder. You will receive more information about how to complete this assignment later in the lesson.

 

In this lesson you will also complete the first two parts of your module assessment:

 

• Module Assessment (Part 1)—Using Stoichiometry to Save the Apollo 13 Astronauts
  
  

• Module Assessment (Part 2)—The Nature of Scientific Research and Apollo 13

These are the first two parts of your Module Assessment. Later in the lesson you will read more about the Module Assessment. Save copies of your work in your course folder. At the end of Lesson 3, you will submit all parts of the Module Assessment to your teacher.

 

The other questions in this lesson are not marked by the teacher; however, you should still answer these questions. The Self-Check and Try This questions are placed in this lesson to help you review important information and build key concepts that may be applied in future lessons.

 

After a discussion with your teacher, you must decide what to do with the questions that are not part of your assignment. For example, you may decide to submit to your teacher the responses to Try This questions that are not marked. You should record the answers to all the questions in this lesson and place those answers in your course folder.

 

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