Space: Image of the Day #7

[Robert Bruce]

Image of the Day #7




The photo shows the Apollo 13 SM (Service Module) shortly after undocking  from the CM (Command Module with the LM still attached and released in space approx. 4 hours before the CM re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. You can see the damaged service compartment where the Oxygen tank 2 exloded.

"After an intensive investigation, the Apollo 13 Accident Review Board identified the cause of the explosion.

In 1965, the CM had undergone many improvements that included raising the permissible voltage to the heaters in the oxygen tanks from 28 to 65 volts DC.

Unfortunately, the thermostatic switches on these heaters weren't modified to suit the change. During one final test on the launch pad, the heaters were on for a long period of time.

This subjected the wiring in the vicinity of the heaters to very high temperatures (1000 F), which have been subsequently shown to severely degrade teflon insulation. The thermostatic switches started to open while powered by 65 volts DC and were probably welded shut.

Furthermore, other warning signs during testing went unheeded and the tank, damaged from eight hours of overheating, was a potential bomb the next time it was filled with oxygen.

That bomb exploded on April 13, 1970 -- 200,000 miles from Earth."
                                 
Courtesy NASA


UPDATE: Thanks Mike - here is the picture at last! FTP issue now resolved.

[Michael Alexander]

All I see is SPACE! no picture brother Robert!

[Robert Bruce]

Thanks Mike. The FTP issue is now resolved.

Regret the fuzziness of the photo. But it does reflect the mess caused to the SM compartment lower right. Must've been a serious bang. And of course the tanks started venting and Jim Lovell saw the frozen droplets and thought it was urine that'd been dumped/expelled.

But it was more serious than that.

[Michael Alexander]

This whole space thing, is kinda like when the europeans set out from europe 600 years ago in their little sailing boats, everyone was sure you would sail of the edge of the earth, there were ship eating monsters out in the oceans etc..... in the end, the earth was discovered, back in the day, you needed immense wealth to go on a discovery, these days you can do Europe/Africa on a bike..... point is, many normal folk would like to go into space, way too expensive, no oxygen, radiation..... but one can only wonder how it will all be shaping up 600 years from now...

mumble, mumble to myself.....