During footage of Apollo rocket launches, ice shards can be seen falling from the rocket. How and why does ice form so quickly and where on the rocket is it falling from?
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The Saturn V (first stage) used kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen for fuel and oxidizer. The LOx is really very cold, and Florida has high humidity, so water vapor condenses on the state and freezes.
The upper stages used Liquid Hydrogen and LOx, so more cryogenic stuff, more frost and ice forms there. It forms on the skin outside of the cryogenic tanks.
The upper stages used Liquid Hydrogen and LOx, so more cryogenic stuff, more frost and ice forms there. It forms on the skin outside of the cryogenic tanks.
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The rockets use a mixture of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as fuel. When they mix incorrectly, its possible to just make normal water, but the ``ice`` you are seeing is that liquid gas cooling when it is not under pressure