May 18 1998
From The Space Library
NASA successfully tested a fuel tank made of a new metal mixture, aluminum lithium, never before used in major U.S. manufacturing. The tank made of the new alloy was 30 percent stronger and 5 percent lighter than the aluminum magnesium tanks in use since the days of the Apollo program. The tank showed no leaks, pressure bulges, or other problems, when loaded with 537,000 gallons (2,033,000 liters) of liquid oxygen and hydrogen fuel. Lockheed Martin had developed the new fuel tank to help ensure that NASA would be able to haul large sections of the ISS into orbit.
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