Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanthe
Until Mythbusters can prove it by testing it in the actual vacuum of outer space, I'll hold off on buying their proof. Besides, I like the conceit of holes blasted into hulls sucking out people.  |
Well, actually, they did in a small way when they tested the explosive decompression of an aircraft. And oddly, what they proved was that, depending on the pressure involved, and the volume of air, combined with the size of the hole, it is possible to suck someone out. But the volume of air and its corresponding pressure must be high enough first off to get them to the hole, and then the hole must be large enough to allow them through. If any of those three are insufficient, then they won't get sucked out.
So in other words, a room that is 8x8x8 pressurized to 1 atmosphere above external pressure has enough power and volume to suck someone through an open door very easily, but not through a viewing window. To suck them through the viewing window, you would need at least 10x's the pressure, as the body would need to first be collapsed in order to fit through the hole. That's been observed even in deep sea conditions where pressures are several hundred times that of sea surface pressures.
Case in point, there's a video on youtube that shows video from a repair bot as it was cutting through a pipe at several hundred feet. A crab walked over the pipe, was suddenly adhered to the pipe, and then imploded and was sucked into it through a quarter inch slice in the pipe in less than 2 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f17abJOMel4
Now if you figure out the pressure outside vs what was likely inside (I'm guessing 1 atmosphere since it was initially dropped in at the surface), you'll figure out what pressure difference was required for that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joebill
The human ability to ignore something new is very wide spread. Why, it even goes all over the world.
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lol. I actually use that in some of my books. It's a fun theme to play with.