alternatehistory.com

Hi!

According to an Apollo 13 Web page, the fuel tank responsible for the explosion was originally intended for Apollo 10:

"The no. 2 oxygen tank used in Apollo 13 (North American Rockwell; serial number 10024X-TA0008) had originally been installed in Apollo 10. It was removed from Apollo 10 for modification and during the extraction was dropped 2 inches, slightly jarring an internal fill line. The tank was replaced with another for Apollo 10, and the exterior inspected. The internal fill line was not known to be damaged, and this tank was later installed in Apollo 13. "

Suppose this original tank is installed in Apollo 10 and Apollo 10 suffers the same accident Apollo 13 did (at the same point in the mission). How do things change? Note that the US has not landed on the Moon yet. Apollo 10 is the dress rehearsal for the lunar landing.

Things to consider:

1. Will the astronauts make it back alive? Who was running the show at the time?

2. Will Apollo 11 be delayed so NASA can effect repairs? Will that prompt the Soviets into trying to get to the moon first?

3. Will different astronauts land on the moon? How would the Apollo 12 crew (now forced into the role of the first people landing on the moon) react to the issues Apollo 11 encountered during the descent?
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