Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: What happened?  Could risk be higher?
Message-ID: <1989Dec1.040218.26158@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <wZQjNdy00WBKQ0oJB9@andrew.cmu.edu> <5082@jane.uh.edu> <1989Nov29.163242.1165@utzoo.uucp> <6791@pdn.paradyne.com>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 89 04:02:18 GMT

In article <6791@pdn.paradyne.com> dave@rnms1.paradyne.com (Dave Cameron ) writes:
>>the best guess [in my opinion -- Kerwin's team did not guess] is that the
>>cabin lost pressure quickly and the astronauts rapidly lost consciousness,
>                                                ???????
>
>I assume that one would like to consult the tables of "time of useful
>consciousness" against altitude before drawing a conclusion. Those
>times are longer than many people think.

The "rapidly" was from the Kerwin report, as I recall -- the only thing
they didn't express an opinion on was whether the cabin had actually lost
pressure.  They were pretty clear on what would have happened if it had.

I'd be interested to know what the tables have to say -- I don't have
them handy.  The breakup was at 46,000 ft and apogee for the cabin was
something like 80,000.
-- 
Mars can wait:  we've barely   |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
started exploring the Moon.    | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
