In Apollo 13, when the Saturn rocket launches, white chips fly off of it. What are those?

Question

IN the film Apollo 13, right as the rocket launches, white stuff (almost looks like paint or ice) falls off of the rocket. What are these, and what purpose do they serve?

Answer 1

Ice

Answer 2

It's ice, caused by the liquid oxygen tanks.

Answer 3

I think i was not ice or s.thing like that . think it was some blocks(heat cover bocks that usually made of teflons matterial).thats the couse of accident.when that got high and high in sky. i become so hot and feul tank explode under 1 second

Answer 4

Ice that has formed on the outside of the fuel tanks because the contain liquid oxygen.  The humidity in the air causes ice to form on the super-cold surfaces.

Ice falling off the solid rocket boosters is also what damaged the heat tiles on the space shuttle causing it to burn up on re-entry.

Answer 5

What is flying off are ice chips.  Ice forms on the outside of the fuel tanks that contain supercooled liquified gas.

Answer 6

It's ice