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From: alle@ihuxb.UUCP (Allen England)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: re: 2001 - (nf)
Message-ID: <396@ihuxb.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Oct-83 11:55:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxb.396
Posted: Mon Oct 17 11:55:28 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Oct-83 20:27:25 EDT
References: <2080@hp-pcd.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il
Lines: 19


    > Here's another technical error for you.  The scene where Dave Bowman must
    > endure the vacuum of space while transferring from the pod to the Discovery.
    > (He forgot his helmet, remember.)  It appeared that he had no problem 
    > surviving the vacuum for some 5 to 10 seconds which I find impossible.
    > When there was no pressure, there was nothing to keep the liquids of his 
    > body from immediate vaporization (boiling).  He should of been dead in 
    > the first second.  Space is cold and empty, and we are not well adapted
    > to 0 pressure.     

I believe it is indeed possible to endure the vacuum of space a brief
interval (less than 20 seconds).  Can someone verify this??

Clarke is normally pretty good at checking technical details in
his stories and I remember seeing this particular phenomena explained
previously.

Allen England at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Naperville, IL
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