| The world's first operational fuel cells
UTC Fuel Cells, a unit of UTC Power, designed, developed, qualified and manufactured the fuel cell power plants for NASA's Apollo, Apollo-Soyuz, and Skylab programs. These were the world's first operational fuel cells, and used the Bacon (molten KOH) technology. A complement of three 28-volt power plants provided all the onboard electrical power to the Apollo Command and Service Modules.
Each power plant was rated at 1.5 kW, with a maximum power of 2.2 kW for brief periods. Each unit weighed 250 pounds and was fueled by cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen. The three cells operated in parallel; a single power plant was enough to ensure safe return.
Fuel cell performance during Apollo was exemplary. Over 10,000 hours of operation were accumulated in 18 missions, without an in-flight incident.
 
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