Yikes. Drowning in space...

[Kilgs]

Italian astronaut recounts drowning risk while on EVA.
(This is a hazard that should be written into an adventure!)

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162...-describes-near-drowning-experience-in-space/

 

[Frankymole]

Didn't "Wrong Way Valve" in Challenge do something similar with a starship? Maybe that was just a cross-contamination risk.

 

[ShapeShifter]

Great story. My first thought was that he had a malfunction with his space nappy. :rofl:

 

[HG_B]

Italian astronaut recounts drowning risk while on EVA.
(This is a hazard that should be written into an adventure!)

Only if you are using very low TL vacc suits. Ya have to remember that all such items we currently use should be considered non-standard, cutting edge, almost experimental items.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

The problem he had could occur in just about any suit, though, HG_B - or so it seems. He had a leak somewhere. I doubt you'll stop those 100% with future tech. That water made it into his helmet. Then it just floated there.

This is scary because - being gravity-bound creatures - we tend to think of drowning as something you do in water over your head. And there being enough of it to actually fill up the container. The water (based on a close reading in another source) didn't actually fill the helmet. The small amount there was just hung there around his head. He wasn't drowning because there was too much water - just because he couldn't get it out of his face. He couldn't wipe it away, he couldn't get it to go anywhere else.* That is understandably a bit frightening.

*A creative thought would have been for his crewmate to grab him by the hands and spin him about (feet out) for a few turns. That should have caused the water to at least flow toward his torso and feet. Alternatively, grab his feet - at least get the water to the very top of the helmet.

 

[Thlaylie]

There should be a standard pressure release valve built into the helmet like a dive mask with a manual low volume release (slower than normal air feed.)

This would allow him to jettison a good portion of the water.

Next problem, it was probably suit coolant water.....

 

[Fritz_Brown]

He would have lost a lot of air with that water, Thlaylie.

 

[Drakon]

There is just such a valve!

There should be a standard pressure release valve built into the helmet like a dive mask with a manual low volume release (slower than normal air feed.)

This would allow him to jettison a good portion of the water.

Next problem, it was probably suit coolant water.....

There is exactly just such a valve, and if you read the astronaut's account, he debates using it or not. The problem is that 1) you also lose air pressure, 2) you lose O2 which means you shorten the time you have to fix the problem, and 3) it will only work until the water freezes in the valve. If you get enough water out before then, great, but if you do not, you still have the air pressure and O2 issues.

 

[saundby]

The suit is slated to come back down on Dragon in January. They're building a special rack for it that will take a replacement suit up, then bring the faulty one back down for troubleshooting. They think they've narrowed it down to one of three valves, but it'll take checking in the shop to determine which was the culprit. Nobody feels like putting the AE-35 unit back in and letting it fail on this flight.