A little bit of "back in my day"
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon/wink.gif)
concerning that report from the Artemis tanking test,
A “small grass fire” near the hydrogen flare stack at pad 39B
When we were re-activating Pad B in 1985 (where Artemis I is right now) we had to test the new flare stacks (there were/are(?) two). Previously from back in Apollo they had used a burn pond (sadly I cannot find an image), which was large square water pond with 1096 bubble caps each where gaseous hydrogen was bubbled from pipes below the water. More details if requested.
Anyway, one of my engineers had submitted a proposal that when we re-activated the hydrogen ground system on Pad B, we switched to using flare stacks, which were common in the petroleum industry. The stacks were duly built and installed. Part of the activation activities required that we give the new flare stacks a stress test to assure that they were able to handle the most difficult venting situations and also to assure that we weren't going to set all the nearby scrub grass on fire
Since this test was hazardous and would shut down all other activation work at the pad, we had to hold it on a Saturday. That particular Saturday was July 6th and I was a bit short of engineers so I volunteered myself to go to the pad and participate. I dressed up in my white fire-resistant coveralls and was present at the LH2 storage area when we pressurized the storage tank in various stages and vented it to the flare stack. After each my NASA counterpart and I would walk out to under the stack and look for any obvious issues.
The final test was to pressurize the storage tank to nearly 90 psi, which was where the relief valve would have unseated, and then vent the tank to the flare stack. After the initial
whoosh my NASA counterpart (who was a she by the way) and I actually walked up to the flare stack as it was still vigorously burning and confirmed through instrumentation and our own frail bodies that the heat being generated was by no means excessive.
After that test chains were set up around the flare stacks and no one was and as far as I know is permitted to get close to those stacks when in use. So my NASA counterpart and I are unique in being the only people, as far as I know, who have actually stood close to those stacks while they are in use.