DCS from a different view.

[landlocked]

Cape Canaveral made the following press release today. I thought that it was of some general interest to divers.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060404/D8GOSIK00.html

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Interesting... It sounds a little like the chambers that commercial divers use.

 

[utdivermatt]

Yeah, I worked at Space Camp over the summer, and it was really interesting to learn the similarities between the risk faced by astronauts and scuba divers. Its basically the same theory, but still completely different in so many ways. We always tell the story of Alexis Leonov, the first person to perform a spacewalk. He got a bad case of the bends, because he had to release air from his suit to fit back into the capsule. Interesting story looking at it today.

 

[www.scubamazing.com]

hey thanks, that is cool

 

[Kray_Z]

thats cool, didnt realy know they had to deal with that considering they are in a pressurized suit. still interesting to know!

 

[Blackwood]

Yeah, I worked at Space Camp over the summer, and it was really interesting to learn the similarities between the risk faced by astronauts and scuba divers. Its basically the same theory, but still completely different in so many ways. We always tell the story of Alexis Leonov, the first person to perform a spacewalk. He got a bad case of the bends, because he had to release air from his suit to fit back into the capsule. Interesting story looking at it today.

In what ways is it completely different?

[not being mean... just curious]

 

[utdivermatt]

I was just refering to the difference between a space walk and a trip into the ocean. Two very different places to use similar theory. I was not implying the theories were different, even though looking at it now it did kind of come out that way. Sorry for the mix up

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Well, I've read that scuba diving is how astronauts prepare for working in zero gravity environments... If that's true, and if they must first be versed in dive physiology, then it is all connected, isn't it? One of the most illuminating experiences was when I was flying on medevac missions in the Army: My unit sent a bunch of us down to go through the altitude chamber in Okinawa. They simulated flying above 10,000' without oxygen. We were playing with kiddy toys, (the blue/red balls with the yellow cut-out pieces that you insert). When hypoxia began to take over, confusion would set in. My buddy next to me started to pass out and I reached over and slapped his oxygen mask on him. Apparently, hypoxia is not all that different than getting narced.

 

[landlocked]

In what ways is it completely different?

[not being mean... just curious]

Instead of N2 loading during the activity and then off gassing upon completion; you off gas first then participate and then load N2 to get back to normal.

 

[Kray_Z]

yeah.. as divers we are used to going deep and getting compressed build up of nitrogen and have to worry about it expaning after we are done and are surfacing. in space you would have to worry about a lack of pressure out side of the cabin and would cause the already present nitrogen in your blood to expand

hope that clears some up