I've seen a few posts on this list over the years asking about the effects of decompression (e.g. 'putting someone out the airlock'). Anyway there was an interesting demonstration on TV last night during which Tarrant-looky-likey Jeremy Clarkson was put into a decompression chamber. This simulated decompression in a high-flying aircraft, not a space-ship, however I think at very high altitudes the atmosphere is quite close to 'vacuum', only a fraction of sea-level pressure.
In this instance the amusing Clarkson was accompanied by a man in a breathing-suit, which was lucky, because he almost immediately became so disoriented that he wasn't able to do one of those block puzzles you give to babies to play with. When they said 'Jeremy, it's time to put the breathing mask on' he just smiled goofily and carried on playing with the toy. The other chap had to reach over and put the oxygen mask against his face. Almost immediately he went pink, and said something like 'What was I thinking of?'
But what of the physical effects? Well, they made him breathe out during the 3-second decompression process, and they said if he didn't then his lungs would inflate out of control, which I guess could be a bit yucky. But having done that he didn't seem in any danger of exploding bloodily. He did break wind quite a lot. Well, you have to equalise pressure somehow.
Alison
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