From: g_d_pusch_remove_underscores@xnet.com   
      
   Rick Jones  writes:   
      
   > SeeBelow@seebelow.nut.retro.com wrote:   
   >> OTOH, if the fuel was two components, say oxygen and hydrogen, then   
   >> neither oxygen tanks not hydrogen tanks are explosive on their own.   
   >> To keep them cold in space mainly requires sheilding from sunlight.   
   >   
   > Wasn't it an O2 (LOX?) tank that detonated on the Apollo 13 mission?   
      
   Only because certain electrical components within the tank were overloaded   
   and caught on fire. A fire burning inside a liquid oxygen tank burns =VERY=   
   enthusiastically. The abrupt release of heat by the fire cause the tank   
   pressure to rise very, very rapidly, which caused the tank to _RUPTURE_,   
   not explode. The rupture of the tank releasing its pressurized contents   
   into the equipment bay very rapidly, and propelling fragments at high   
   velocity through nearby equipment. The effects produced by the rupture   
   of the overpressurized, overheated tank were _SIMILAR_ to an explosion;   
   however but there is nothing =INTRINSICALLY= "explosive" about liquid   
   oxygen per se.   
      
      
   -- Gordon D. Pusch   
      
   perl -e '$_ = "gdpusch\@NO.xnet.SPAM.com\n"; s/NO\.//; s/SPAM\.//; print;'   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)