This Is Why The Apollo 16 Mission Almost Failed

Now, here is a rather interesting fact about the Apollo 16 mission that you probably didn’t know. Apparently the mission was endangered by none other than flatulence. You’ve heard it right, farts could have been the downfall of the whole team.Show more

The reason for this problem was none other than an orange juice spiked with potassium in order to help their bodies function better in outer space. The mineral was supposed to help the team regulate their heart beating but it had a few downsides, leaving the team with a bad case of gas. NASA even has a recording of the astronauts telling the other team members how nauseated they were feeling.

While some might say that the bad smell of gas can be lethal, it’s actually its chemical composition that adds to the killer factor. Flatulence is actually composed of methane, a highly flammable gas. If it ever came in contact with a flame, it could have blown up the whole mission in flames.

Methane is also one of the biggest reasons for air pollution. The methane that escapes the manure from livestock all around the world contributes to the greenhouse effect as much as carbon dioxide does. There are attempts to control the methane emissions by turning the animal manure to energy, but it is hard to implement it in many countries. Thankfully, the methane remained contained in the suits of the Apollo 16 team members and they managed to get home unscathed.