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From: davet@randvax.UUCP (Dave Truesdell)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: human reaction to vacuum
Message-ID: <2843@randvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Dec-85 01:40:51 EST
Article-I.D.: randvax.2843
Posted: Tue Dec 17 01:40:51 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Dec-85 09:04:28 EST
References: <631@hou2a.UUCP> <341@tilt.FUN> <627@wjh12.UUCP>
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Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica
Lines: 35

> Arthur Clarke apparently anticipated the furor this might cause and wrote an
> essay to show that humans COULD in fact survive in vacuum for limited periods.
> He based his arguments on research done by NASA and the US Air Force during the
> 1960s.  The research featured experiments on dogs and monkeys at very low
> pressures; some of the animals were able to survive for several minutes at
> near vacuum.  The essay was published in his 'View from Serendip,' but I can't 
> remember the title of the article.
> 
> If someone could find the article, maybe this dispute can be (almost) settled
> for a while.

The article is titled "A Breath of Fresh Vacuum".  The experiments Clark
mentions, involved decompressing chimpanzees and dogs to pressures of less
than 2 mm.  The chimpanzees surviving up to two and a half minutes.  The
references given are:

"The effect on the Chimpanzee of Rapid Decompression to a Near Vacuum."
Edited by Alfred G. Koestler, NASA CR-329 (November 1965)

and

"Experimental Animal Decompressions to a Near Vacuum Environment."
R. W. Bancroft & J. E. Dunn, Report No. SAM-TR-65-48 (June 1965)
USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Texas.


--
Any opinions expressed, are my own, and not those of my employer.

    David A. Truesdell

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