I don’t know what these are (I’m not a rocket scientist) but they are part of the 3rd stage engine on the Saturn V at Johnson Space Center. Looking at those engines gives me a great appreciation for the art of engineering. Not only are they amazing machines (you wouldn’t believe the pressures and stresses that are present in a rocket engine) but they are also covered in beautiful little details – perfectly routed plumbing, geometric cooling fin patterns, tidy cable harnesses and shiny spheres. All cool stuff even if I have no idea what it’s doing.
That is fine work that any plumber or electrician would be very proud of!
These are ambient helium spheres which were used to pressurise the propellant tanks in the third stage.
They were actually a backup pressurisation system and helium spheres were also stored inside the stage for the primary system.
