Ordinary couple discovers that a strange-looking family heirloom is actually a priceless artifact from the Apollo spaceship: ‘That’s national space history right there’

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  • What's this metal cylinder my fiance keeps in our bedroom
  • Anyways I was by my fiance that her dad told her this part was from an airplane and that it was made of titanium, but she doubts that story stating her parents used to make
  • up silly stories for boring things. It weighs about 5 pounds and has been sitting in my bedroom for 5 years after we sold her parents home.
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  • An update on some of the story I should have put this in but her parents aren't alive anymore so we can't really get a update or a continuation of the story. But she just told me that her parents got it from her father's grandad was a engineer and in the airforce no clue how he got ahold of it. Apparently her parents used it as an endtable with a piece of wood on top when she was growing up.
  • gimmeecoffee420. Oh holy sh.. thats LITERALLY a piece of an APOLLO mission ship.. The Lunar Lander i think? It held propellant or gas? It had other stuff on it and in it though. Not surprising those arent there because this is "simply" a pressure vessel i think? Im just a history nerd though and im NOT an expert. But this is history OP..
  • Apollo Service Module RCS Tank • Titanium fuel tank for the Reaction Control System (RCS) of the Apollo Service Module. • Helium pressurizing gas pushed against flexible bladders in the fuel and oxidizer tanks to force the weightless propellants out of the tanks. (The bladder has been removed from this tank.) • Photos show the tank with its probe assembly installed and removed, and views of each end of the probe assembly. • Exploded view (NASA graphic) shows the components and complete assembly
  • Potatonet ⚫ One of the coolest "what is it" posts I've ever seen OP you preserve that tank and hand it down generationally, that's national space history right there. There's like 1 million of us that would like to have that
  • bradwm So it's actually even cooler than the story told by her parents. OP, I suggest you deep dive the rest of the stories and report back!
  • MealReadytoEat_ SPACE DIVISION OF NORTH AMERICAN ROCKWELL CORPORATION POSITIVE EXPULSION TANK ASSEMBLY I. Diffuser Assy 15. Eyelet 8271-471141-1 Fuel 6339-471063-3 "nut cut off 16. Ox. 8339-471054-3 Mounting predelivery 2. Belt 8271-471019-1 17. Bimetal Joint (6061 Al-Al. to 347 St.St.) 18. 3. Washer AN 960-C416L Tank Shell Assy. (T16AL-4V Titanium) Fuel 8339-471110-1 4. Bladder Fuel 8339-471080-1 Ox. 6339-471080-3 5. Ring 8271-471117-1 Ox. 8339-471110-3 18. B Tabe Assy. Fuel 8339-471059-9 Ox. 8
  • SpiritWillow2019. Titanium fuel tank for an Apollo service module for those that need a text description. The tank was filled with hydrazine, a toxic liquid than when poured over a catalyst would explosively turn into hydrogen and nitrogen gas. It was used in the reaction control system (RCS) thrusters. Very reliable system since you don't have to ignite the fuel each time to use the thrusters.
  • What OP has was obviously not flown since the service module was dumped in the ocean after the crew capsule separated. Probably just a pathfinder test article that a factory worker nabbed from the scrap bin.
  • Alternative_Emu6106. Holy Cow! That's incredible. I would think an artifact like that in such good condition would be of interest to NASA or the Smithsonian.
  • Ok_Advantage_224 My grandpa worked for a company that designed some water tanks and other components for some of the Apollo missions. My grandparents have one of the water tank prototypes at their house. The water tank is round and doesn't have the same look, but as soon as I saw this, I knew there was a connection.
  • taylor914 That's such a cool piece of history. Do everything you can to keep it in the family. But also it could probably fetch a pretty penny if you're ever in desperate need.
  • Bubbly Ad8911. 1:41 Search Labs The estimated value of a titani- um Apollo service module RCS tank, part of the complete RCS panel assembly, is between $60,000 and $74,998, including RR +2 buyer's premium according to RR Auction. This price reflects the rarity and historical signifi- cance of the Apollo program.
  • I would certainly be looking for a buyer if I had that! The WHOLE system was sold for 7.5% of $1 million. Can't find out how much their one part would be worth, but it wasn't because I didn't try hard
  • omarhani ⚫ The government might want that back, and may not ask nicely. lol. Delete post :D
  • CannabisAndCoffee . This is probably the COOLEST thing I've ever seen on Reddit. I'm a HUGE Apollo program nerd. How the heck engineer grandad was able to take this home who knows but they're a legend. This is probably
  • worth a lot of money, but in my personal opinion, it'd be a crime to sell it. If I owned it I'd keep it forever and pass it down in my family. What an incredible piece of human history. Cherish it <3

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