Could the crew of a modern nuclear submarine survive if there submarine was in orbit, sub's are airtight?

Answer 1

Yes modern nuclear submarines are airtight, and would keep the pressure inside the boat. Some quality Assurance test we do at times to test watertight components is to actually pressurize the inside of the boat to 12psi, this is just short of 1 atmosphere (14.7psi).

A submarine would keep its atmosphere, but the crew would not last long, that depends soley on power to vital equipment. Submarines are meant to work in seawater, so things would start freezing in space, the Reactor could not work without seawater to cool it, so we would get no power, our battery would only last a day or so because our AC units and atmosphere control equipment use allot of power, so it would also get very hot or cold fast.

We could scrub the CO and CO2 out of their, but after the O2 in our O2 banks and O2 candles were used up, we would have no way of replenishing the O2 without seawater, which we use to make O2.

Answer 2

Probably so. Although designed to withstand pressure from the outside, they are probably tight enough to maintain pressure in a vacuum, especially since the differential would be only one atmosphere or less. They would not survive long, though, as even nuclear submarines must periodically surface to obtain fresh air. How, exactly, a submarine would end up in orbit is beyond me.

Answer 3

Submarines are built to withstand pressures of much greater than 1 atmosphere, but they are designed to withstand pressure from the outside, not from the inside. Still, I would not be surprised if certain subs could survive space. I'll bet all of the deep sea diving compartments could, like the Thresher, the Scorpion, or the Trieste.

Answer 4

NO. Aside from the issue of the structural integrity, you have the issue of temperature extremes. The side of the sub towards the sun would get very hot and the side away would get very cold. Submarines are not designed for those types of temperature extremes. There would be no way for the sub to manuver, no thrusters. No way for them to cool their reactor. Many many details.

Answer 5

I like this question. I think most of what was said above is true. What would be a good question, is what if a commercial airliner was in space, because they are designed to Handel pressure form the inside.

Answer 6

Possibly for a short time, but they withstand larger pressures from the outside. In space, the larger pressure would be inside, which would be a problem.