Word: thumbnails
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...After six weeks of investigation, NASA's high-level review board proposed an explanation for the explosion of Apollo 13's oxygen tank. The blast was apparently caused by the failure of two thumbnail-sized automatic switches that are designed to shut off the oxygen tank's internal heater if its temperature rises above 80° F. Tests showed that the temperature, if unchecked, could soar as high as 1,000° and cause the electrical insulating material to flake off. The arcing that results can ignite the insulation. Heat from the fire expands the compressed semiliquid...