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Something about journeying to the deep ocean seems so much more terrifying than space. Perhaps it’s that one cannot “fall” home whenever one wants to, when you

Something about journeying to the deep ocean seems so much more terrifying than space. Perhaps it’s that one cannot “fall” home whenever one wants to, when you are already at the bottom of the sea? That’s hardly rational though. After all, if anything goes wrong in the ocean, your buddies can just pull you up. If something goes wrong in space you drift into oblivion. If you are tethered in space and the safety rope breaks its game over. Just as if one was deep in the ocean without positive buoyancy. And then space itself is all fun and games when in orbit around Earth. If, when facing the planet, you are feeling existentially terrified by there being simultaneously nothing and half of all of the Universe behind you then you can just turn around and have the safety of Earth at your back, at least. But go deeper into space and that feeling of safety is gone forever. The same universal nothingness and everything-ness is in all directions. Space psychiatrists of the future may recommend we install permanent curtains to deal with this. Only those forced to work outside need experience the terror of the void. At least you can see past the end of your nose in space. In the deep ocean it’s truly pitch black. Until the squids come.

tutfbhuf 6y ago
> Something about journeying to the deep ocean seems so much more terrifying than space. > At least you can see past the end of your nose in space. In the deep ocean it’s truly pitch black. Yup, I think it's the darkness and short distance visibility that makes for thalassophobia in most cases, at least it is for me. It scares me when I cannot see the ground, even when I know that it's only a few meters deep. However, I can stand on the top of a building and look down without any fear. BTW, I recommend r/thalassophobia.
- barking 6y ago
  I have no fear of dying in space, none! In contrast, the thought of drowning terrifies me as does that of falling from a great height.
  - chrisweekly 6y ago
    Related tangent: philosopher / author Milan Kundera once wrote, > "Vertigo is something other than the fear of falling; it is the desire to fall -- against which, terrified, we defend ourselves." That's from memory (over 20 years ago) but I think I got it right.
    - nix23 6y ago
      True, when you stand at a cliff and look down, you feel the urge to step forward, my theory as a climber is: Your eyes tell you it's flat so you can step forward...but your sense of balance tell's you something different..brain is confused, you never have that feeling when your IN the wall.
  - krisoft 6y ago
    We had astronauts who had to interrupt an EVA because they had a water leak in their suit and it was pooling in their helmet. That thought absolutely terrifies me. You have plenty of air, it's just that there is a silly blob of few centiliters of water around your nose, and you can't wave it away because your helmet is in the way.
saberdancer 6y ago
To me, the deep ocean with the pressures involved is much more deadly than the vacuum of space. Sure, you'd die in both situations but the ocean would just crush your in a second while space is not as violent but still quite deadly. Space is also open and visibility is great while in the depths there is no light and you can see only a few meters in any directions. Space also does not have "monsters" in it :).
- pas 6y ago
  Space has micrometeorites \o/
  - IncRnd 6y ago
    Space has micrometeoroids, and that might even be more monsterish!
- russdill 6y ago
  All you need to do in space to avoid dying in vacuum if your pressure vessel fails is wear a pressure suit. If your pressure vessel fails in the deep ocean the only upside is you'll probably never even be aware of it happening.
  - saberdancer 6y ago
    Plus you need cooling or heating, you need to be able to breath, you are exposed to a lot more radiation than is healthy for you. All of those are deadly, but not as sudden as being crushed to death in an instant like you would at the bottom of the ocean.
osobo 6y ago
Space is empty. The deep ocean has things. Old, blind things with little lights and teeth and tentacles.
plq 6y ago
Actually, you can "fall home" in the ocean. I have no idea what procedures exist in missions that go to extreme depths like these, but if you are a recreational diver (who is not allowed to go below 30m) and you have an emergency down there, the last resort is to get rid of all your additional weights* as fast as possible so that you get pushed to the surface with zero effort. Of course, you need to deal with fast changes in pressure during the short journey towards the surface (protect your eardrums, lungs etc) and you may get decompression sickness depending on the dive time and avg depth at the moment of emergency, but hey, at least you're alive to deal with all those problems! *: Generally, a scuba diver takes additional weights to counter the positive buoyancy effect of wetsuits, fat etc. These are mounted on belts or similar accessories that are designed to be very easy to get rid of in case of emergency.
- serkandurusoy 6y ago
  > so that you get pushed to the surface with zero effort This is not always true. Your buoyancy decreases as you go deeper (and have more water above you, causing more downward pressure). At a depth of 30 meters (100 feet), the pressure is 4 atmospheres, 4 times that of sea level. Furthermore, not everyone is positively buoyant. The less fat one has, especially if not wearing diving suit, the more likely staying afloat/level to become harder. As the depth increases, lungs and all bodily cavities shrink, further adding to one's density. So, at 30 meters, it is actually quite a struggle to swim back up, even more so if you've lost your fins. As for weights, I used to work out and exercise daily. During that time, I also dived few times a week spanning various sea conditions throughout the year and never have once taken weights as I was already negative. Fast forward 2 years to today, I put on 15kg (33 lbs) and I need 10kg weight to enjoy my dive. But on the upside, I'd probably skyrocket to the surface if needed, lol :D
  - garaetjjte 6y ago
    >(and have more water above you, causing more downward pressure). But also higher pressure pushing you upwards too! Buoyant force is equal to weight of displaced fluid, and so is independent of depth. (edit: given same fluid and temperature) (edit2: and well, buoyant force will be slightly stronger because fluid will be more compressed at the bottom)
markdown 6y ago
> If something goes wrong in space you drift into oblivion. If you are tethered in space and the safety rope breaks its game over. No way man, didn't you watch Gravity [2013]? /s
- gorgoiler 6y ago
  Is it actually possible to de-orbit without over-heating? If you come in at some super shallow angle you'd think you could do it, but at some point one ends up going from an orbit to a trajectory, at which point unless your air resistance can throttle your air speed below some value, you'll always over-heat?
  - mrkstu 6y ago
    I suppose if you had some kind of aero-gel bubble that could progressively ablate as you came down you could make it work.
  - cheerlessbog 6y ago
    If arbitrary thrust is allowed you can move as slowly as you like in any direction.
  - jvm_ 6y ago
    Bleeding off 8km/second (5miles/second) all the way to zero movement - just by moving through the atmosphere... doing that without heating just seems impossible.
  - jonathlee 6y ago
    Yes. Look up space diving. There have been old Popular Science (Popular Mechanics?) articles on it and speculation in the space community about a new sport if/when a space tether is possible.
    - elcomet 6y ago
      > No successful space dives (above 100 km) have been completed to date
greggman3 6y ago
I get freaked out in underwater segments in 3D video games. IIRC Quake had some underwater levels and they totally freaked me out. Same with Metroid Prime even though they were small. The latest as Subnautica VR. I couldn't even play period. Just too terrifying for some reason. I jumped in the water, swam down a little and then was like "Nope!". I've thought maybe it's that things can come from below where as generally that doesn't happen on the ground. It could also be the reverb-y sounds. I have no idea. I love the ocean and swimming so ...
- Avicebron 6y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassophobia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassophobia
pcardoso 6y ago
The book The Deep Range by Arthur C. Clarke's deals with some of this. An astronaut that fears space is forced to move to a marine force.
thirtythree 6y ago
Has anyone ever "floated" away in space?
- KineticLensman 6y ago
  Several astronauts intentionally 'floated away' using the Shuttle's Manned Maneuvering Unit [0]. I don't think anyone has done so accidentally. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Maneuvering_Unit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Maneuvering_Unit
- russdill 6y ago
  You can see video of what it would look like though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bet1jgj3s68 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bet1jgj3s68
lqet 6y ago
> Something about journeying to the deep ocean seems so much more terrifying than space. What terrifies me most is the stuff that lives down there [0]. [0] https://www.livescience.com/16231-creepy-deep-sea-creatures-gallery.html https://www.livescience.com/16231-creepy-deep-sea-creatures-...

tutfbhuf 6y ago

> Something about journeying to the deep ocean seems so much more terrifying than space. > At least you can see past the end of your nose in space. In the deep ocean it’s truly pitch black. Yup, I think it's the darkness and short distance visibility that makes for thalassophobia in most cases, at least it is for me. It scares me when I cannot see the ground, even when I know that it's only a few meters deep. However, I can stand on the top of a building and look down without any fear. BTW, I recommend r/thalassophobia.

barking 6y ago
I have no fear of dying in space, none! In contrast, the thought of drowning terrifies me as does that of falling from a great height.
- chrisweekly 6y ago
  Related tangent: philosopher / author Milan Kundera once wrote, > "Vertigo is something other than the fear of falling; it is the desire to fall -- against which, terrified, we defend ourselves." That's from memory (over 20 years ago) but I think I got it right.
  - nix23 6y ago
    True, when you stand at a cliff and look down, you feel the urge to step forward, my theory as a climber is: Your eyes tell you it's flat so you can step forward...but your sense of balance tell's you something different..brain is confused, you never have that feeling when your IN the wall.
- krisoft 6y ago
  We had astronauts who had to interrupt an EVA because they had a water leak in their suit and it was pooling in their helmet. That thought absolutely terrifies me. You have plenty of air, it's just that there is a silly blob of few centiliters of water around your nose, and you can't wave it away because your helmet is in the way.

saberdancer 6y ago

To me, the deep ocean with the pressures involved is much more deadly than the vacuum of space. Sure, you'd die in both situations but the ocean would just crush your in a second while space is not as violent but still quite deadly. Space is also open and visibility is great while in the depths there is no light and you can see only a few meters in any directions. Space also does not have "monsters" in it :).

pas 6y ago
Space has micrometeorites \o/
- IncRnd 6y ago
  Space has micrometeoroids, and that might even be more monsterish!
russdill 6y ago
All you need to do in space to avoid dying in vacuum if your pressure vessel fails is wear a pressure suit. If your pressure vessel fails in the deep ocean the only upside is you'll probably never even be aware of it happening.
- saberdancer 6y ago
  Plus you need cooling or heating, you need to be able to breath, you are exposed to a lot more radiation than is healthy for you. All of those are deadly, but not as sudden as being crushed to death in an instant like you would at the bottom of the ocean.

osobo 6y ago

Space is empty. The deep ocean has things. Old, blind things with little lights and teeth and tentacles.

plq 6y ago

Actually, you can "fall home" in the ocean. I have no idea what procedures exist in missions that go to extreme depths like these, but if you are a recreational diver (who is not allowed to go below 30m) and you have an emergency down there, the last resort is to get rid of all your additional weights* as fast as possible so that you get pushed to the surface with zero effort. Of course, you need to deal with fast changes in pressure during the short journey towards the surface (protect your eardrums, lungs etc) and you may get decompression sickness depending on the dive time and avg depth at the moment of emergency, but hey, at least you're alive to deal with all those problems! *: Generally, a scuba diver takes additional weights to counter the positive buoyancy effect of wetsuits, fat etc. These are mounted on belts or similar accessories that are designed to be very easy to get rid of in case of emergency.

serkandurusoy 6y ago
> so that you get pushed to the surface with zero effort This is not always true. Your buoyancy decreases as you go deeper (and have more water above you, causing more downward pressure). At a depth of 30 meters (100 feet), the pressure is 4 atmospheres, 4 times that of sea level. Furthermore, not everyone is positively buoyant. The less fat one has, especially if not wearing diving suit, the more likely staying afloat/level to become harder. As the depth increases, lungs and all bodily cavities shrink, further adding to one's density. So, at 30 meters, it is actually quite a struggle to swim back up, even more so if you've lost your fins. As for weights, I used to work out and exercise daily. During that time, I also dived few times a week spanning various sea conditions throughout the year and never have once taken weights as I was already negative. Fast forward 2 years to today, I put on 15kg (33 lbs) and I need 10kg weight to enjoy my dive. But on the upside, I'd probably skyrocket to the surface if needed, lol :D
- garaetjjte 6y ago
  >(and have more water above you, causing more downward pressure). But also higher pressure pushing you upwards too! Buoyant force is equal to weight of displaced fluid, and so is independent of depth. (edit: given same fluid and temperature) (edit2: and well, buoyant force will be slightly stronger because fluid will be more compressed at the bottom)

markdown 6y ago

> If something goes wrong in space you drift into oblivion. If you are tethered in space and the safety rope breaks its game over. No way man, didn't you watch Gravity [2013]? /s

gorgoiler 6y ago
Is it actually possible to de-orbit without over-heating? If you come in at some super shallow angle you'd think you could do it, but at some point one ends up going from an orbit to a trajectory, at which point unless your air resistance can throttle your air speed below some value, you'll always over-heat?
- mrkstu 6y ago
  I suppose if you had some kind of aero-gel bubble that could progressively ablate as you came down you could make it work.
- cheerlessbog 6y ago
  If arbitrary thrust is allowed you can move as slowly as you like in any direction.
- jvm_ 6y ago
  Bleeding off 8km/second (5miles/second) all the way to zero movement - just by moving through the atmosphere... doing that without heating just seems impossible.
- jonathlee 6y ago
  Yes. Look up space diving. There have been old Popular Science (Popular Mechanics?) articles on it and speculation in the space community about a new sport if/when a space tether is possible.
  - elcomet 6y ago
    > No successful space dives (above 100 km) have been completed to date

greggman3 6y ago

I get freaked out in underwater segments in 3D video games. IIRC Quake had some underwater levels and they totally freaked me out. Same with Metroid Prime even though they were small. The latest as Subnautica VR. I couldn't even play period. Just too terrifying for some reason. I jumped in the water, swam down a little and then was like "Nope!". I've thought maybe it's that things can come from below where as generally that doesn't happen on the ground. It could also be the reverb-y sounds. I have no idea. I love the ocean and swimming so ...

Avicebron 6y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassophobia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassophobia

pcardoso 6y ago

The book The Deep Range by Arthur C. Clarke's deals with some of this. An astronaut that fears space is forced to move to a marine force.

thirtythree 6y ago

Has anyone ever "floated" away in space?

KineticLensman 6y ago
Several astronauts intentionally 'floated away' using the Shuttle's Manned Maneuvering Unit [0]. I don't think anyone has done so accidentally. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Maneuvering_Unit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Maneuvering_Unit
russdill 6y ago
You can see video of what it would look like though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bet1jgj3s68 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bet1jgj3s68

lqet 6y ago

> Something about journeying to the deep ocean seems so much more terrifying than space. What terrifies me most is the stuff that lives down there [0]. [0] https://www.livescience.com/16231-creepy-deep-sea-creatures-gallery.html https://www.livescience.com/16231-creepy-deep-sea-creatures-...