Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site mordor.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!ut-sally!mordor!@S1-A.ARPA:host.MIT-MC.ARPA From: @S1-A.ARPA:host.MIT-MC.ARPA Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Getting UNSTUCK in the middle of space Message-ID: <1702@mordor.UUCP> Date: Wed, 8-May-85 03:55:50 EDT Article-I.D.: mordor.1702 Posted: Wed May 8 03:55:50 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 10-May-85 20:45:04 EDT Sender: daemon@mordor.UUCP Lines: 28 From: Tony Guzzi This topic of "What do you do if you find yourself floating with nearly no velocity in a place where you can not reach anything?" This is a topic that I think few of us will ever have the possiblity of dealing with but it is an interesting "thought experiment" (as Albert Einstein calls them). In the past, a number of homemade experiments have been suggested here on SPACE (the paper airplane in zero-g for one), so here is another one. The topic could be called "Personal Propulsion Devices". The experiment would center around the idea of how to add velocity to a "stationary" astronaut. This first one may sound very silly, but I am wondering what the effect of giving a good, hard, long blow in the opposite direction will do. I do know that the direction is crucial and may just result in a summersaulting, stationary astronaut. The second involves a common, ordinary balloon. The balloon is blown up, placed near the astronauts center of gravity/mass and the air let out in the opposite direction the astronaut wants to go. The third is to use a pressurized container in place of the balloon (even though some people would consider balloon as pressurized containers). The containers could be re-filled using an ordinary bicycle tire pump. All these ideas center around the standard principle that all rockets work by so I think they are theorectically sound, but as for practicallity, well, I think only "field testing" can really tell. Tony Guzzi tonyg%uconn.csnet@csnet.arpa (If you are wondering why I mentioned using a balloon, a balloon can be easily carried around in a pocket. The pressurized container may be bothersome.)