LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Apollo 13
built 199 days ago
The cause for the problem aboard Apollo 13 was determined to be a faulty thermostat. The subcontractor never got word of the change in design specifications so the thermostat had a voltage rating of 28 volts instead of 65. During testing voltage was applied to the thermostat and it had welded shut, temperatures inside the cryogenic oxygen tank increased to 1,000° but no one knew because the temperature gauge didn’t go past 85° (Chaikin 88). The intense heat cracked insulation on some of the fan motor wires. Nothing else happened until April 13 on Apollo 13. The cryo stir created an electrical short and started a fire within the tank; pressure built up and blew off an outer panel... crippling the fuel cells and Apollo 13.
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Apollo 13 was planned to be the third manned lunar landing. Lunar trajectory insertion occurred on schedule. The Command Service Module (CSM) then turned and docked with the Lunar Module (LM) and continued on toward the Moon. Then, almost 56 hours after liftoff, a fire broke out in the #2 oxygen tank in the CSM. This led to the loss of all fuel cell power and the other system failures. The mission was aborted and the task of getting the astronauts home safely began.
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Howard's film about Apollo 13 is ... expected to have additional meaning for Huntsville. Howard, Tom Hanks and other cast members made an unpublicized visit to Huntsville last year to learn more about space exploration and to orient themselves for the film production. The group visited the United States Space and Rocket Center and the Marshall Center. Marshall Protocol Officer Sandra Turner conducted the MSFC tour and arranged for briefings by Marshall employees. "The visitors were all just as down to earth as they could be," Turner said, adding that Hanks loved to crack jokes. The group visited the Marshall Test Area, the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator and other sites.
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Playing Jim Lovell in Apollo 13 had a profound and inspirational effect upon actor Tom Hanks. Ever since, he has been involved in promoting manned space flight. His most recent project is Magnificent Desolation.
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Apollo 13 does a fantastic job in giving audiences some clue what being on an Apollo mission must have been like. No quality film can really make the grade without strong or fantastic performances from its actors and Apollo 13 is no exception. Tom Hanks, who at this point still cared about doing a good job on the films for which he took a paycheck, turns in a great performance in Apollo 13 as Jim Lowell. In fact, much of the success of the film must be attributed to the simply exceptional cast and their exceptional performances. Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise and Ed Harris all bring their “A-games” and are simply not just showing up looking for a way to pay for a larger Malibu mansion or newer Ferrari.
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After an intensive investigation, the Apollo 13 Accident Review Board identified the cause of the explosion. In 1965 the CM had undergone many improvements, which 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."
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