4 ms·

Ebullism at 1M Feet: Surviving Rapid/Explosive Decompression (2000)

38 points by Hooke 5y ago

todd8 5y ago
My dad had a friend that worked at the Johnson Space Center who gave me a private tour many years ago. He pointed out the room sized, high vacuum, spacesuit test chambers and told me of a startling incident that happened once in one of the chambers. While walking around in the chamber, a tester had walked too far and had accidentally pulled the umbilical tubing from the wall. He was at that moment exposed to a hard vacuum (equivalent to that found in outer space). The safety observer immediately started emergency pressurization and the tester survived. He continued to work for NASA and ended up being in charge of safety procedures.
knolax 5y ago
I read that as 1 meter feet instead of one million feet.
- newx 5y ago
  That is wrong. m is the unit for meters M is the unit for millions
jdonaldson 5y ago
This is a great crossing of literary flair and fairly sophisticated research. Is this a thing? Can I get more?
mjcohen 5y ago
I recall a SF story from probably 50 years or so ago where someone had to make a suitless trip between two airlocks in space. According to the story (iirc), they survived.
- dsimms 5y ago
  Are you thinking of Dave in 2001? "Open the pod by doors, Hal." "I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that."
- datameta 5y ago
  There is also such a scene in a certain 2007 sci-fi film (which I won't name in the interest of avoiding spoilers)
- pavel_lishin 5y ago
  I remember a few slightly-more-recent examples, though I don't remember where I read them! I _think_ Seveneves had one instance, but that's not specifically what I'm remembering.
- retrac 5y ago
  The episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where the doctor and engineer are trapped in a cargo bay with burning toxic fuel is, oddly, one of the most "hard science fiction" scenes in the whole show. They decide, given everything on the ship isn't working after a disaster, that they must vent it to space to extinguish the fire, and they have to do so manually, and without suits. So they hyperventilate and exhale as hard as they can. Brace themselves against a support. And then they pop the door. Their hair and clothes ripple as the air rushes out. They get dizzy and have about ten seconds of useful consciousness to start the re-pressurization process. No exploding heads, no instant death. Just a torrent of air and then frost creeping over skin during a profound silence as the seconds run out. Accuracy turned out to have better drama, for once.
  - rubicks 5y ago
    So you're saying _Event Horizon_ took rather unrealistic liberties?
  - ceejayoz 5y ago
    The Expanse got this right, as well. Early in the series a Belter is shown casually opening his helmet to fix a loose wire after exhaling and dropping his suit pressure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i_TEbygCd0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i_TEbygCd0
    - nojokes 5y ago
      No, he inhales before rising the visor and exhales before closing it, so it is actually not correct. It was also not the last time they got it wrong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2WcVXf7Iz8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2WcVXf7Iz8 At least they are consistent.
robotresearcher 5y ago
What a beautifully written paper. The tone is unusual and works wonderfully well. The author makes it look easy, but it is not.
nonfamous 5y ago
It would be interesting to see this system in action: >> Personal Rescue Sphere (‘Space Ball’) Should the shuttle become compromised and unable to return to Earth, a unique emergency system is in place. Each crew member has a Personal Rescue Sphere (PRS), a 34-inch diameter fabric garment into which they can be zipped (Plate 1) (22). The sphere is then inflated with oxygen, and can be carried through space to a rescue vehicle. Each PRS has its own supply of oxygen, a window, and a small telephone. In addition to emergency decompression, the ‘Space Ball’ might also be used if the cabin air became contaminated, allowing a suited crewmember to vent the entire atmosphere and replace it. Simple and rapidly donned, the Personal Rescue Sphere is the final refuge in the event of a decompressive emergency.
Baeocystin 5y ago
Interesting, the tidbit about the astronaut's finger plugging the hole painlessly enough to not even realize the problem until after. A 1/8" diameter puncture does not seem very small, considering!

38 points by Hooke 5y ago

My dad had a friend that worked at the Johnson Space Center who gave me a private tour many years ago. He pointed out the room sized, high vacuum, spacesuit test chambers and told me of a startling incident that happened once in one of the chambers. While walking around in the chamber, a tester had walked too far and had accidentally pulled the umbilical tubing from the wall. He was at that moment exposed to a hard vacuum (equivalent to that found in outer space). The safety observer immediately started emergency pressurization and the tester survived. He continued to work for NASA and ended up being in charge of safety procedures.

knolax 5y ago

I read that as 1 meter feet instead of one million feet.

newx 5y ago
That is wrong. m is the unit for meters M is the unit for millions

jdonaldson 5y ago

This is a great crossing of literary flair and fairly sophisticated research. Is this a thing? Can I get more?

mjcohen 5y ago

I recall a SF story from probably 50 years or so ago where someone had to make a suitless trip between two airlocks in space. According to the story (iirc), they survived.

dsimms 5y ago
Are you thinking of Dave in 2001? "Open the pod by doors, Hal." "I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that."
datameta 5y ago
There is also such a scene in a certain 2007 sci-fi film (which I won't name in the interest of avoiding spoilers)
pavel_lishin 5y ago
I remember a few slightly-more-recent examples, though I don't remember where I read them! I _think_ Seveneves had one instance, but that's not specifically what I'm remembering.
retrac 5y ago
The episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where the doctor and engineer are trapped in a cargo bay with burning toxic fuel is, oddly, one of the most "hard science fiction" scenes in the whole show. They decide, given everything on the ship isn't working after a disaster, that they must vent it to space to extinguish the fire, and they have to do so manually, and without suits. So they hyperventilate and exhale as hard as they can. Brace themselves against a support. And then they pop the door. Their hair and clothes ripple as the air rushes out. They get dizzy and have about ten seconds of useful consciousness to start the re-pressurization process. No exploding heads, no instant death. Just a torrent of air and then frost creeping over skin during a profound silence as the seconds run out. Accuracy turned out to have better drama, for once.
- rubicks 5y ago
  So you're saying _Event Horizon_ took rather unrealistic liberties?
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  The Expanse got this right, as well. Early in the series a Belter is shown casually opening his helmet to fix a loose wire after exhaling and dropping his suit pressure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i_TEbygCd0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i_TEbygCd0
  - nojokes 5y ago
    No, he inhales before rising the visor and exhales before closing it, so it is actually not correct. It was also not the last time they got it wrong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2WcVXf7Iz8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2WcVXf7Iz8 At least they are consistent.

robotresearcher 5y ago

What a beautifully written paper. The tone is unusual and works wonderfully well. The author makes it look easy, but it is not.

nonfamous 5y ago

It would be interesting to see this system in action: >> Personal Rescue Sphere (‘Space Ball’) Should the shuttle become compromised and unable to return to Earth, a unique emergency system is in place. Each crew member has a Personal Rescue Sphere (PRS), a 34-inch diameter fabric garment into which they can be zipped (Plate 1) (22). The sphere is then inflated with oxygen, and can be carried through space to a rescue vehicle. Each PRS has its own supply of oxygen, a window, and a small telephone. In addition to emergency decompression, the ‘Space Ball’ might also be used if the cabin air became contaminated, allowing a suited crewmember to vent the entire atmosphere and replace it. Simple and rapidly donned, the Personal Rescue Sphere is the final refuge in the event of a decompressive emergency.

Baeocystin 5y ago

Interesting, the tidbit about the astronaut's finger plugging the hole painlessly enough to not even realize the problem until after. A 1/8" diameter puncture does not seem very small, considering!