The LH2 lines
- Mischa
- LUT model
The 3 pipes of the LH2 system. For understandable reasons, the liquid hydrogen (like the LOX pipes next to it) is transported upwards on the side facing away from the Saturn V ...
LH2 pipes at Side 3
... as brightly burning launch towers were not particularly good for television transmission. Next to right you also see the three LOX pipes up to Level 80.
LH2 pipes at Side 3
The LH2 pipes have thrived to level 120. There we stop at the LH2-Valve-Complex ...
LH2-Valve-Complex at Level 120
... whose construction gives us some headaches.
LH2-Valve-Complex at Level 120
I am not familiar with the deeper meaning of the cannon pipes - they may be safety overflow valves or something like that.
LH2-Valve-Complex at Level 120
The LH2 valve complex at level 120, isolated in all its innocence and splendor. The pipe suspended from the ceiling leads to Service Arm #4. The assembly should be entertaining as the part clearly exceeds the visibility limit. However, I get a dull feeling of uneasiness when I imagine how the pipe salad should be installed into the LUT model.
LH2 pipes at Side 3
The pipes are now sprouting up to level 180, and the fixing anchors are blooming in an incredible variety of species. It almost seems as if every LUT designer wanted to set up a personal monument here.
With the increasing population of the LUT, it also becomes evident how every inch of space had to be haggled for - so the pipes below level 140 fit seamlessly towards the cable shafts, and the anchors sit on the bracing plates of the crossbeams. To have this overall picture in mind - at that time, without the help of computers - is almost superhuman.
LH2 pipes at Side 3
The LH2 system is finished - we see the valve-complex at level 200 and the thick end under the base of level 260. In some places it is now getting increasingly close ...
LH2 pipes at Side 3
... as a closer look proves. Between the struts and cable lines, the pipe anchors are desperately looking for a way through, which often causes breathtaking twists. I wonder how all this can be assembled without getting knots in your fingers or brain.
