We sometimes see movies with people valiantly hanging on during an explosive decompression in a spacecraft. Is that really possible? I want to know how fast the air is moving. It seems that it would be impossible to hang on, and that your lungs would immediately rupture. In any case, my real question is the initial airspeed. Is it 500 kph? 1000 kph? I know it will decrease very fast, depending on the size of the craft, and aperture size will count.
2006-07-27 10:46:49 · 3 answers · asked by KALEL 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
That will depend entirely on the volume of air and the size of the opening....I'm guessing that's it's possible to hold on if you have a good handle. Something as small as the space shuttle, it's not going to be a strong wind at all. FYI, your lungs might rupture if you tried to hold your breath. The best info I've seen is that you could survive naked exposure to space for 10 or 20 seconds...assuming immediate medical attention was available.
2006-07-27 11:00:26 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it depends on the size and speed of the rupturing
television's "mythbusters" did some tests with differential pressures somewhat lower than 14 psi (difference between a nice liveable pressure and space) they did not get much pull by the air
if the hole is really big, the air goes out very quickly but is all gone before it can pull heavy objects very far
if the hole is small, the air speed in the aircraft space is not that high
2006-07-27 18:01:18 · answer #2 · answered by enginerd 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As seen in the movies, no. There is not nearly enough air to produce that amount of wind shown in the movie. Either the air would be gone before you had time to grab anything, or it would not by moving fast enough to haul you out.
2006-07-27 18:56:41 · answer #3 · answered by STEVEN F 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋