Where were you on April 13, 1970, when the Apollo 13 liquid oxygen tank ruptured? The loud bang heard when the fuel cell tank exploded, was at first believed to be a prank pulled by prankster Crewman Haise.? However, it was discovered that the explosion which took out the whole side of the service module, crippling both the command and service modules, resulted in the loss of most of the power and life sustaining oxygen.? An immediate abort of the mission was necessary, but how do they get the crew back safely from this life and death drama??

Gene Kranz, Annual Luncheon Guest Speaker, Author of Failure is Not an Option and past NASA Flight Control Director, is credited with returning the lunar module and the crew safely back to earth, for which he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom award.? We invite you to join us for the Annual Luncheon, followed by a book signing, beginning at Noon on Thursday, November 5, 2009, to hear the rest of the story.?

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What caused the rupture? ?The thermostat inside the liquid oxygen tanks, used to run the fuel cells providing electricity as well as oxygen, were supposed to be redesigned to operate at 65 volts as well as the 28 volt standard. The manufacturer did not get word of the change, which alone would not have been a problem.? However in 1968 the tank was dropped by technicians during manufacturing.? Tests were performed and a determination was made that there was no detectable damage.?? In March, 1970, after a practice session, the ground crew tried to empty the tank, but couldn?t.? The small tube used to fill and empty the tank of its supercold contents had been damaged when it was dropped.? In order to empty the tank, the technicians turned on the heaters to warm the liquid oxygen, turning it to a gas that could then be vented to the outside.? The thermostat inside the tank was supposed to prevent the temperature from exceeding 80 degrees Fahrenheit.? As the temperature inside the tank rose, the thermostat was activated, resulting in a surge of electricity at 65 volts, causing the 28 volt thermostat to weld shut, and the temperature inside the tank to rise to 1000 degrees.? The intense heat damaged some of the insulation on the wiring inside the tank.? No one knew, but Apollo 13 carried the makings of a small bomb inside its service module.?

When the fans were turned on inside the No. 2 tank, the damaged wire caused a spark, starting a fire inside the tank.? The pure oxygen fed the fire and caused the pressure inside to grow to the point of rupturing the tank and subsequently crippling the spacecraft.

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Come to the 2009 Annual Meeting luncheon for the rest of this exciting story.