_data_monkey_

Obviously not as expert as the Colonel, but my interpretation of what I've read is that because of the very high temperatures and amount of expansion/contraction during full speed and stopped there was no sealing mechanism that could completely seal the tanks (rubber would melt, welds would break during expansion, and so on). They designed it to be fully sealed when expanded understanding that it would leak when it was colder. So they didn't want it to leak on the tarmac, but it was better than leaking while it was operating.

Was there anything in your results that really surprised you as you were going through the analysis?