Fuel Cell, Apollo
name: label: Manufacturer
content: United Aircraft Corporation, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Division
notes: label: Summary
content: The Apollo Command Module's primary source of electric power was from a set of three "fuel cells" housed in the Service Module. Each fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and water. The water was used for drinking by the astronaut crew. Each of the fuel cell power plants contain 31 separate cells connected in series. Each cell has hydrogen and an oxygen compartments and electrodes, which in combination produce 27 to 31 volts. Normal power output for each power plant is 563 to 1420 watts, with a maximum of 2300 watts.
label: Summary
content: This particular fuel cell was installed in Service Module (SM) 102 during ground testing and operations conducted at the module's North American Aviation manufacturing site in California. It was transferred to the Smithsonian in September 1972. SM-102 was not flown.
place: label: Country of Origin
content: United States of America
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Air and Space Museum Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Transferred from NASA, Johnson Space Center.
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Air and Space Museum
identifier: label: Inventory Number
content: A19730934001
objectType: label: Type
content: SPACECRAFT-Crewed-Instruments & Payloads
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Materials
content: Pressure Jacket/Support Assembly - Titanium, Stainless Steel, Nickel
label: Materials
content: Hydrogen Electrode - Nickel
label: Materials
content: Oxygen Electrode - Nickel and Nickel Oxide
label: Dimensions
content: 3-D: 111.8 x 55.9cm, 111.1kg (44 x 22 in., 245lb.)