Rene-NASA-Mooned-America

Mass Murder or Utter Stupidity / Chap. 6 p. 43
craft against the zero pressure outside in space. However, since we didn't have rockets to lift
that sort of weight, we couldn't afford this luxury. We had to make light, tin foil capsules just
to get into the ball game.
The differential in pressure between the 14.7 psi (our normal atmospheric pressure) and
the zero pressure of space amounts to 2116 pounds per square foot of outward loading on the
enclosing wall of a capsule. Compare this figure with the floor of a house — which is
designed to be safely loaded to only 30 pounds per square foot — and you will realize that
relatively heavy metal is vital for skin and skeleton if you want to enjoy normal pressure. It
is wall strength that prevents catastrophic and explosive depressurization of small capsules.
The LEM's walls will be discussed in more detail later.
Breathing Mixtures
The greater lifting capacity of their rockets allowed the Soviets the luxury of using a
mixture of 20 percent oxygen and 80 percent nitrogen — the equivalent to regular air.
Naturally, it wasn't stored on board as bulky "compressed air". It was stored separately as
liquids in cryogenic tanks. However, the nitrogen supply was smaller, since the gas is inert
to the human body, and additional nitrogen is required only to help re-establish pressure
when the cabin is vented to space. Oxygen tanks were larger because the only oxygen used
was that small portion converted into CO 2 by the necessity of breathing. This is immediately
removed from the cabin by chemicals. A great deal is also lost when the cabin is vented to
space during depressurization.
Pure Oxygen
Lacking strong-walled capsules, NASA decided right from the beginning to use 50 percent
oxygen and 50 percent nitrogen at 7 psi. This specification was changed in August 1962
into the use of pure oxygen at 5 psi. I0
A policy shift of this nature indicates that approved design of the capsules that were
manufactured was weaker than expected. The amazing thing is that NASA made this deadly
decision despite testing that usually ended in disaster. One would think that after testing
showed disaster one would never implement a dangerous policy. But NASA was in a race
with destiny. They had no time for common sense.
NASA Tests
Here is a list of all government-sponsored testing that resulted in oxygen fires. This
information was extracted from Appendix G in MISSION TO THE MOON written by
Kennan & Harvey.
"September 9, 1962 — The first known fire occurred in the Space Cabin Simulator at
Brooks Air Force Base in a chamber using 100 % oxygen at 5 psi. It was explosive and
involved the CO 2 scrubber. Both occupants collapsed from smoke inhalation before
being rescued."
"November 17, 1962 — Another incident using 100 % oxygen at 5 psi in a chamber
at the Navy Laboratory (ACEL). There were four occupants in the chamber, but the
simple replacing of a burned-out light bulb caused their clothes to catch on fire. They
NASA MOONED AMERICA! / Rene