Difference between revisions of "Atmosphere"
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There are several different types of atmospheres to consider. | There are several different types of atmospheres to consider. | ||
| − | [[Luna|Lunar]] atmosphere[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_the_Moon] | + | *[[Luna|Lunar]] atmosphere[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_the_Moon] |
| − | Earth's atmosphere[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_atmosphere] | + | *Earth's atmosphere[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_atmosphere] |
| − | Atmospheric pressure on Earth[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_pressure] | + | *Atmospheric pressure on Earth[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_pressure] |
| + | *Cabin Pressurization[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_pressurization][http://oregonstate.edu/~atwaterj/merc.htm] | ||
| + | [http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=605848] | ||
The most important for Lunar development is the pressure inside your [[Space Suits|space suit]] or habitat. Here is a listing of the relative pressures of other environments and the percentage oxygen in each. | The most important for Lunar development is the pressure inside your [[Space Suits|space suit]] or habitat. Here is a listing of the relative pressures of other environments and the percentage oxygen in each. | ||
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|- style="background:#BFBFBF" | |- style="background:#BFBFBF" | ||
|Location | |Location | ||
| − | | | + | |Oxygen Percentage |
|Pressure | |Pressure | ||
|- style="background:#EFEFEF" | |- style="background:#EFEFEF" | ||
| − | |[[Terrestrial Air|Earth]] | + | |[[Terrestrial Air|Earth]] at Sea Level |
|(21%) | |(21%) | ||
|101.3 kPa<BR/> | |101.3 kPa<BR/> | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | |[[Mercury Spacecraft|Mercury]] Program | + | |Leadville Colorado, 10K altitude |
| + | |() | ||
| + | |10.1 psi<BR/> | ||
| + | |- style="background:#EFEFEF" | ||
| + | |Denver Colorado | ||
| + | |() | ||
| + | |12.1 psi<BR/> | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |LaPaz | ||
| + | |() | ||
| + | |9 psi<BR /> | ||
| + | |- style="background:#EFEFEF" | ||
| + | |[[Mercury Spacecraft|Mercury]] Program | ||
| + | |(100%) | ||
| + | |34.5 kPa<BR/> | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |[[Geminii]] Program | ||
|(100%) | |(100%) | ||
|34.5 kPa<BR/> | |34.5 kPa<BR/> | ||
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|[[Space Shuttle]] | |[[Space Shuttle]] | ||
|(28.5%) | |(28.5%) | ||
| − | |70.0 kPa | + | |70.0 kPa |
| − | |||
| − | |||
|} | |} | ||
Revision as of 19:55, 31 October 2008
| Work on this article has outpaced copyediting on it. You can help Lunarpedia by formatting, editing, or tidying it. |
There are several different types of atmospheres to consider.
- Lunar atmosphere[1]
- Earth's atmosphere[2]
- Atmospheric pressure on Earth[3]
- Cabin Pressurization[4][5]
The most important for Lunar development is the pressure inside your space suit or habitat. Here is a listing of the relative pressures of other environments and the percentage oxygen in each.
| Location | Oxygen Percentage | Pressure |
| Earth at Sea Level | (21%) | 101.3 kPa |
| Leadville Colorado, 10K altitude | () | 10.1 psi |
| Denver Colorado | () | 12.1 psi |
| LaPaz | () | 9 psi |
| Mercury Program | (100%) | 34.5 kPa |
| Geminii Program | (100%) | 34.5 kPa |
| Apollo Program | (100%) | 34.5 kPa |
| Skylab | (70%) | 34.5kPa |
| Space Shuttle | (28.5%) | 70.0 kPa |
Hazards: Lack of Breathable Atmosphere and Improper Pressure
Under most circumstances, if you don't get enough oxygen pressure you will get altitude sickness[7], aka Hypoxia.
In the extreme case of a severe leak in space, you have to consider what the Death Zone does to climbers on Everest [8].
Most desirable for long term habitats in space is somewhere around 40kPa total with about 60% oxygen. In the event of an sudden depressurization this ratio means you do not have a hard transition to switch to your backup breathing systems. The rest is Nitrogen, water vapor and trace amounts of CO2 which can be isolated quite easily.
| Hazards |
|---|
