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Duct tape happens to also have saved the lives of the Apollo 13 crew.
CO2 accumulates in the air of the space craft over time as it is breathed. The Lunar Module was the only part of the ship that was powered on for most of their trip, it was being used as a life raft of sorts. It only had supplies to keep the air fresh for a shorter period of time and for one fewer crew member than was demanded of it.
The part that needed frequent replacing was a 'scrubber' cartridge that had an active ingredient that would waste over time. The crew had plenty of cartridges to supply the Command Module (which had to remain powered down), but they were not compatible with the Lunar Module. Solution: they kludged together an adaptor using spare parts, and DUCT TAPE to hold it all together.
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