What pre-launch activity by ground personnel contributed to the failure by damaging the oxygen tank insulation?
Answer
Applying too much voltage to the tank's heaters
The initial physical damage to the wiring insulation (Teflon) occurred when the tank was dropped during pre-flight handling. However, the condition became explosive due to a subsequent error by the ground crew during testing. During a pre-launch test procedure involving the tank heaters, the ground team applied an excessive amount of electrical voltage. This over-voltage caused the already compromised, exposed wiring to short-circuit, igniting the Teflon insulation inside the tank, which ultimately resulted in the explosion once the system was activated in space.
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