Before I forget .....

last Tuesday was the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 13 Service Module blowing its liquid oxygen tank.


During a routine procedure to stir the hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks, it turned out that some wiring to one of the stirrer motors has lost some insulation and a short had caused a spark, which in turn caused the liquid oxygen tanks to blow. The results can be seen above in the photo taken by the Apollo 13 crew after the Service Module was ejected before reentry.

Due to the valiant efforts of the crew and all the NASA ground support; a tragedy was averted and the aborted Apollo 13 mission actually became the space agency's shining moment. The fact that the crew returned home safely is a testament to the ingenuity and hard work of the dedicated men and women of that era.

72 de Larry W2LJ