Posted by davrecon-3 on
URL: https://www.shado-forum.com/Air-supply-tp1505209p1505231.html



----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin Lazenby" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2005 8:40 AM
Subject: [SHADO] Air supply.


>
> Moonbase would have to do the same as Skydiver; recycle the air.
>
> The Interceptor silo`s would need to be pressurised, for `ground crews` to
> gain
> access for maintenance & missile re-arming.
>
>


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There are ways to scrub and treat the air to recycle the un-used oxygen
in it after respiration. People only "use" about 4-6% of the oxygen out of
every breath they take, out of the approx. 21% available. That leaves about
16% still left in it by content that you exhale. The reason we can't keep
sucking on the same air in a paper bag is because of the CO2 we dump into
it. The high CO2 content is what makes you feel suffocated when you try to
rebreath air like that.

Your body is actually un-able to detect the lack of oxygen in the air it
breathes, it only goes by the CO2 content to regulate respiration. So if you
were to rebreath the same air, but only scrubbing out the excess CO2 w/out
replacing the oxygen, you would simply pass out, blissfully unaware that you
were suffering from oxygen starvation. Many inexperienced general aviation
pilots have had accidents in this way by not going on the bottle at high
altitudes.

Efficient semi-closed rebreather systems are made for closed habitats
and even scubadivers (like CisLunar Diving gear for instance) that scrub out
the CO2 from the air, and replace the oxygen actually consumed by the body
by a trickle feed. Thus a small supply of oxygen can be made to go a long
way in life support. Other fully closed systems can use bio or chemical
means to generate oxygen from solid chemicals, or by other means to convert
the respiratory waste products back into breathable oxygen. Nuclear
submarines, and presumably moonbases and space stations would use those
methods.

BTW, if you're interested, check the files section of the web site, I
once uploaded a possible floorplan of the interceptor bays and undergound
hanger that would accomodate all those needs. You can't pressurise the whole
silos and bay, but you can have a large room that you crane or tow the
vehicle into, pressurize it there, and technicians could work on it in their
shirtsleeves. Much less of a pressurization task than the whole interceptor
bay.

Simple tasks like bomb loading could be done by a guy in a pressure suit
driving a bomb loader mule. The Air Force has specialized mule-trucks for
handling bombs and raising them into position under the wing. With a little
training, a guy in a space suit could easily do it. A second guy would stand
there to pull the pins and plug any needed connections.

Dave H. : )