Ļć½¶Ö±²„remembers legacy of Apollo 13 legend, alumnus Ed Smylie
![Robert āEdā Smylie stands next to the command center used during the Apollo missions. Smylie, an Ļć½¶Ö±²„alumnus who played a pivotal role in the Apollo 13 missionās success, died Monday [April 21]. (Ļć½¶Ö±²„Libraries archival photo)](/sites/www.msstate.edu/files/styles/msstatedrupal_large/public/2025-04/S_5905.jpg?itok=S6hKUEpn)
Contact: Mary Pollitz
STARKVILLE, Miss.āRobert Edwin āEdā Smylie of Crossville, Tennessee, a Mississippi State alumnus who played a pivotal role in the Apollo 13 missionās success, died Monday [April 21].
Born in Lincoln County and a two-time Ļć½¶Ö±²„graduate, he is best known for his role in solving the CO2 scrubbers issue during the Apollo 13 mission. In his role with NASAās Johnson Space Center, Smylie was responsible for the development of the environmental control systems for the Apollo program, including the spacecraft and spacesuits used on all Apollo Lunar Missions.
Video by Ļć½¶Ö±²„Films
Smylie earned bachelorās and masterās degrees from Ļć½¶Ö±²„in mechanical engineering in 1952 and 1954. Once the U.S. Lunar Missions started to come to fruition in the early 1960s, he switched careers from aviation to the space program. During the infamous Apollo 13 mission, he and a team of engineers in NASAās Mission Control found the solution to the lunar moduleās scrubbing system, which was starting to lose capacity to provide breathable air for the astronauts.
āWhen President Kennedy announced the lunar programā¦I wanted to be a part of it,ā Smylie said in the
āYou canāt put a square peg in a round hole, and thatās what we had,ā he continued. āWe had a storage list, and it lists everything on board. ā¦We went through the storage list and found out there was duct tape on board. If youāre a Southern boy, if it moves and itās not supposed to, you use duct tape. Thatās where we were. We had duct tape and we had to tape it in a way that we could hook the environmental control system hose to the command module cannister.ā
The duct tape model proved successful and the astronauts returned safely to Earth. Smylie continued his tenure with NASA from John Glennās first orbit of the Earth in 1962 to his retirement in 1983. In 1973, he worked at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and later served as the Goddard Space Flight Center deputy director in Maryland. Smylie continued his contributions and involvement in the space program until his final retirement in 2010.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 41 years, Carolyn, and is survived by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A private celebration will be scheduled for a later date. A complete obituary is online at .
Ļć½¶Ö±²„ is taking care of what matters. Learn more atĀ .
![Robert āEdā Smylie simulates the work he and a team of engineers in NASAās Mission Control did for the Apollo 13 mission. Smylie, an Ļć½¶Ö±²„alumnus, died Monday [April 21].](/sites/www.msstate.edu/files/styles/msstatedrupal_large/public/2025-04/S_5583.jpg?itok=66PCEsNQ)