Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!gatech!gitpyr!ccoprmd
From: ccoprmd@pyr.gatech.EDU (Matthew T. DeLuca)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: What if...
Message-ID: <7726@pyr.gatech.EDU>
Date: 26 Mar 89 16:21:03 GMT
References: <5042@cbnews.ATT.COM> <15.UUL1.3#5131@mvac.UUCP> <1989Mar25.222108.9060@utzoo.uucp> <7648@killer.Dallas.TX.US>
Reply-To: ccoprmd@pyr.UUCP (Matthew T. DeLuca)
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 22

In article <7648@killer.Dallas.TX.US> rcj@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Robert Johnson) writes:
>What is the ambient tempurature of space?  I imagine that the tempurature
>without an atmosphere would have massive swings...How long could an 
>astronaut stay alive in one of those things?
>
>-- 
>|  Robert C. Johnson                |  "Minds are like parachutes.       |
>|   rcj@killer.dallas.tx.us         |   They only function when they are |
>|   (214) 357-5306                  |   Open."  -Sir James Dewar         |
>  
     Space has no real 'ambient temperature', since space is not composed
of matter, and temperature is a property of matter.  In Earth orbit,     
the temperature of your craft is either very cold or very hot, depending on
whether or not it is in the sun.  Many spacecraft rotate, to distribute the
heating more evenly.  It is of note that while space is often thought of as
'cold', spacecraft never have problems with maintaining warmth; rather, 
one of the more common problems in space is that of overheating.
     While in a rescue bubble, the astonaut (I believe) uses what is called
a Personal Oxygen System (POS) which is good for (at most) two hours or so.

Matthew DeLuca
Georgia Tech