How did duct tape save the lives of the Apollo 13 crew?

Answer 1

It helped save the crew because it put together the pieces of the Land Rover so they could get back to their space craft.

The preceding answer is completely bogus. Apollo 13 suffered a series of malfunctions and a major explosion on the first day of the mission, which immediately required an improvised mission abort plan. Because the service module was badly damaged by the explosion, the 3 man crew evacuated to the lunar landing module. The CO2 filtering system for the LM was designed for only 2 people for only 3 days, and the filter quickly became saturated. NASA engineers on the ground figured out how to use the spare CO2 filters from the command module, which were of a different size and configuration from the LM filter, piecing together space suit hoses, cardboard from a supply box, plastic bags and holding it all together with lots of DUCT TAPE. They talked the Apollo 13 astronauts through the steps required to make and install the make-shift filter, now referred to as the "mailbox" and it worked. Without this solution, the Apollo 13 crew would have died from CO2 poisoning.

Duct tape was used on Apollo 17's lunar rover...to hold together a makeshift fender after they discovered that gritty lunar dust thrown up by the rover's tires was clogging the instruments and space suit filters.

Answer 2

Duct Tape was used to create a makeshift adapter for the Command Module's air filtration system, which helped remove carbon dioxide buildup that was threatening the crew's lives. This innovation allowed the crew to safely return to Earth despite the crisis.