Apollo Oxygen Tanks?

[ascan1984]

Why did they need to be stired.

 

[juliemac]

Ahh. Good Question. IIRC it was to keep the pressure in the tanks up. Thats the best I can come up with with my memory...

 

[ve7rkt]

I would guess -- and this is purely a guess, I hope somebody who knows for sure can answer -- that if you didn't stir the tanks, you might end up with a crust of frozen oxygen lining the tank wall.

 

[formulaterp]

The stirring was necessary to prevent stratification of the cryogenic oxygen, which would otherwise make it difficult to accurately measure the remaining quantity. The tanks also included a heating element which was used to raise/maintain pressure.

 

[fkawi1]

They don't stir the tanks now adays? Why is that?

 

[bushuser]

They decided the presence of all that electrical gear inside the LOX tank was more dangerous than worthwhile. The fix, beginning with Apollo 14, was to add a 3rd oxygen tank. This created a huge surplus of oxygen, so that measuring the oxygen was no longer important.

 

[drwayne]

And the extra tank was placed in such a way as to try and protect it against an Apollo 13 type of explosion.<br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>