How a Mother's $5 Invention Saved 3 Astronauts from Death
“Ok, Houston. We’ve had a problem here.” “This is Houston. Say again please.” “Uh Houston, we’ve had a problem.” What you just heard was the voice of astronaut Jack Swigert aboard Apollo 13. What was supposed to be NASA’s third manned mission to the moon, quickly turned into one of survival. This message would come just seconds after disaster struck and hours before one common item was used to save their lives. Duct tape. But, if it weren’t for one mother’s persistence during world war two and the president of the United States, this item would not even exist. And,
the three astronauts on the Apollo 13 mission would not have survived. It all started in a factory where munition was manufactured for WW2. A woman by the name of Vesta Stoudt saw a problem that had the potential to cost soldiers their lives. Lousy tape. She worked on an assembly line that packaged rifle grenade cartridges. They would be packed 11 to a box. That box was then closed with a thin paper tape and covered in wax to make it waterproof. They were meant to be easy to open. Unfortunately, this was rarely the case. There was a
small tab of tape that was left loose before the wax was added. The tab would tear from the box before completing its purpose. Often under enemy fire, this
laughed off and ignored. They told her, “Oh, forget it. Don’t be silly. The government knows what it’s doing. You can’t do anything about the government.” Adding that you can’t change tape. To them, it was not going to happen. “Well, the government can make mistakes as well as anyone else,” Vesta had snapped back. Determined, she did the next thing that came to her mind to do. Something that would change the course of history. Write the president of the United States of America a letter. And what she did in that letter was quite clever. She included diagrams
of how her idea would work and look. But, she also appealed to the father in him. Franklin Roosevelt had four sons, each of which were serving in the war. “I have two sons out there somewhere… You have sons in the service also. We can’t let them down by giving them a box of cartridges that takes a minute or more to open, the enemy taking their lives, that could have been saved.” Vesta’s words to the president didn’t go unnoticed. Because, a mere two weeks later, she received a letter from the War Production Board. Her idea was
greenlit. The letter even expressed interest in any future ideas she may have. And called her recommendation for the revised tape to be, “of exceptional merit.” The WPB got a division of Johnson & Johnson to manufacture it. As they had a long history of producing surgical adhesive tapes. So, they got to work. Developed using a thin layer of rubber-based gray adhesive that was applied to a thin, but durable, duck cloth backing and coated in a waterproof plastic. Duck tape was born. Yes, duck with a K. Vesta was sent a letter from the president for her idea.
And was awarded the Chicago Tribune’s War Worker Award. It would go on to be used in both World War 2 and, later, in the Vietnam war. During this time, it didn’t look as it does today. It was an olive green color blending in with the standard army-issued colors. The duck cloth is why it was actually originally known as “duck tape”. Well, that coupled with its water-resistant status. Just like on a duck’s back, water would just roll off the surface. And, during use in the war, duck tape earned new names like “100 mile an hour tape”,
“hurricane tape”, and “riggers tape.” It received this name due to it being used to repair army vehicles. But, also because of its role during the Vietnam war. Where it was used to patch or balance helicopter blades. Duck tape also came in handy to bind wounds in place of a bandaid, patch boots, fix weapons, and even to fasten dog tags together to stop the sound of them hitting each other. This would only be the beginning of duck tape’s versatile abilities. Because shortly after the war, in 1950, things really started to change. This company acquired the rights
to the product And it began being sold in hardware stores. It was now available to the general public. And, you must know what that meant for the future of duck tape… Anyway… Later in the 50’s, duck tape began being used to hold heating and cooling ducts together. This is when the tape had the subtle name change occur. From “duck” to “duct” tape. It also changed its appearance to match the ducts it was sealing. And, in 1960, this HVAC company trademarked the name “Ductape” for their “flame-resistant” duct tape. It was said to be capable of withstanding
temperatures of 350-400 °F. But, it would later be written into building codes that duct tape was not to be used for duct sealing. Besides, it had bigger purposes on the horizon. Its next big debut? Space. It all started with NASA’s Project Gemini in 1961. And duct tape has been aboard every space mission since. Thankfully, too. Or else these three astronauts may have never lived to see another day on earth. It was April 11th, 1970 and NASA was attempting its third manned mission to the moon. It was successfully approaching its 56th hour into the mission. When,
out of nowhere… Disaster struck. “Ok, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” The spacecraft they were in had blown an oxygen tank and things went downhill fast. They were no longer on a mission to the moon. But rather, a mission of survival. They were going to need to slingshot around the moon and return home. At the rate they were going, they wouldn’t make it. They needed to make a change and make it fast. Their survival lay in the lunar module. Separate from the command module, it was designed as their ride to the moon. Now, it would
be their ticket home. The only problem? It was meant for two people for just under two days. But, they now needed it to safely carry the three astronauts for four days. Thankfully, they’d have enough oxygen, But their worries lay elsewhere. CO2. “The main thing we had to worry about, we found out, was the carbon dioxide in the lunar module.” The canisters in the lunar module that absorb gas in the air were not suited for three people in the tight space. And they would become useless within hours. Leaving the three men to suffocate. The solution wouldn’t
be easy. You see, the command module used square canisters and the lunar module? Round. And like the saying goes, you can’t put a square peg in a round hole. Or can you? Since this was the only avenue that would see these men home to their families, there HAD to be a way. That’s where Ed Smylie came in. An engineer with the ground crew, he got to work immediately. The biggest thing on Ed’s mind? Whether or not the astronaut’s had duct tape. Once he knew they did, everything fell into place. “I felt like we were home
free. One thing a Southern boy will never say is, ‘I don’t think duct tape will fix it.’” With the help of this saving grace, along with the cover of the flight manual, a plastic bag and tubing from one of the spacesuits, it all came together. Ed made a prototype and had the instructions carefully conveyed to the astronauts who were able to successfully replicate it. The three men would make it home. “Had someone not figured that out, we wouldn’t have survived.” Duct tape had saved their lives. This was only the beginning of duct tape’s mighty reign.
Remember that company that bought the rights to duct tape back in 1950? Well, a year after Lovell, Haise and Swigert set their feet back on solid ground thanks to duct tape, it got a new owner. A man named Jack Kahl. And he had some changes in mind that would turn the product into what many know it as today. First, he changed the company name to Manco. Then, in an attempt to stand out from the competition, he brings back “Duck Tape” since this name had fallen out of use since the end of the war. Jack even
developed a genius marketing plan to go with it. A little yellow cartoon duck appeared in the brand’s new logo. And then, with the help of this colorful new image and name, Jack began sending greeting cards to 23,000 hardware store managers. Not just once. But four times per year. This enabled Manco sales to jump from nearly zero to having a customer base that controlled almost 40 percent of the duct tape market in the US. In 1998, Manco was bought by this new German company. But, Duck Tape wasn’t without its competitors. The late 1990’s saw this American
conglomerate successfully operating a duct tape division. At $300 million, it became the US industry leader of the product. And, in late 2005, this company introduced its own version of duct tape. Gorilla Tape. But, don’t be too quick to count out this little guy. With all of these brands popping up with their own duct tape options, the company who started it all, with the help of a little yellow duck, decided to fight back. And, when Duck Tape was bought by this company in 2009, the new owners decided to come out with another brand. This newer, premium
version of duct tape was born. There were now three big players in the duct tape game, all of which still compete for buyer’s attention today. Regardless of the brand, duct tape in general has only risen in popularity over the years. There is even an annual festival dedicated to the tape in Ohio. It’s a tool many swear by. For example, this Canadian television series that aired from 1991 to 2006 saw duct tape as their cornerstone. Even driving up duct tape sales for 3M. And eventually, in 2000, appointing the show’s lead as the “Ambassador of Scotch Duct
Tape.” In every episode, the star, Red, tackles a project with the help of duct tape. “And this will require the handyman secret weapon, duct tape.” And then there is this television show. Taking on the task of testing out supposed uses, duct tape has provided quite a lot of opportunity for content. The show’s duo, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, have tested duct tape’s ability to be used to create a hammock, sailboat, canoe, a bridge, parachute, functional cannon, roman sandals and more. “Duct tape is not a perfect solution to anything. But with a little creativity, in a
pinch, it’s an adequate solution to just about everything.” With this adage in the back of consumer’s minds, it’s a go-to and trusted commodity. In fact, the global duct tape market is huge! It’s valued at 4 billion dollars. And is expected to continue to just keep growing. Predicted by Global News Wire to surpass 7 billion by the end of 2032. And it’s all thanks to one woman; one mother, who, needing to help her sons, wrote a letter to the United States president. Her persistence and wise, convincing words, are the reason for this invention coming to life
only to, in turn, save lives.
