Using a finger to plug a leak on the international space station

[HAL9000]

Astronauts repair hole in wall of International Space Station | CBC News

The leak came from a two-millimetre hole in the orbital compartment of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft in the Russian segment. This section does not return to Earth.

The hole was likely caused by a micrometeorite or orbital debris hitting the space station.

As of Thursday afternoon, NASA reported that cabin pressure was holding steady. Flight controllers in Moscow worked with the crew to repair the hole with an epoxy gauze wipe. They also raised the cabin pressure in the station using the Progress 70 cargo ship's supply of oxygen. Meanwhile, flight controllers in Houston continue to monitor the situation.

European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst reportedly put his finger over the hole initially.

"In effect, he literally touched space without a space suit," tweeted the YouTube channel Techniques Spatiale.

 

[Celyn]

Oh! Just like that utterly fictional boy who sorted everything out by putting his finger in the dyke.

 

[Fez909]

Well, there's no real danger in "touching space" really. It's been blown out of proportion by the films we watch.

Someone did the science on what would really happen if you went into space without a suit, and contrary to popular belief, you wouldn't explode/implode. You'd just have all the air expelled out of your lungs rather quickly, then suffocate.

A micrometre hole plugged by a finger is fuck all risk.

 

[Fez909]

Here you go: What Would Happen To Your Body In Space Without A Spacesuit?

Not sure the original source, but that sounds about what I read before.

As mentioned, the other serious danger is a lack of oxygen. After around 15 seconds, your body would have used up all of the oxygen in your body and you’d lose consciousness. Some of you may be thinking “But I can hold my breath for minutes!” The situation in space is a little different than here on Earth due to the lack of outside pressure, and if you held your breath in space without a suit you’d be in a big trouble. This is because any remaining air would rapidly expand, rupturing the lungs.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

A micrometre hole plugged by a finger is fuck all risk.

Spoilsport! Why let the facts get in the way of a good story?

 

[Fez909]

Spoilsport! Why let the facts get in the way of a good story?

Sorry!

Brave Sir Fingernaut should defo be knighted for his heroics. His one small micrometre for man is one giant mile for mankind!!!

Better?

 

[Celyn]

Sorry!

Brave Sir Fingernaut should defo be knighted for his heroics. His one small micrometre for man is one giant mile for mankind!!!

Better?

Boldly rode Sir Fingernaut forth from Camelot. He was not in the least afraid ...


(and so on)

 

[editor]

Here you go: What Would Happen To Your Body In Space Without A Spacesuit?

Not sure the original source, but that sounds about what I read before.

I'm surprised that you could last as long as two minutes:

In sum- you’d swell up, burn, mutate, pass out and your lungs might explode. Lovely. But don’t worry, if you’re ever in this sticky situation, you’ve probably got a solid minute or two to be rescued before you die, so chin up.

 

[editor]

Ah, this site says less than one minute

Outer space is an extremely hostile place. If you were to step outside a spacecraft, such as the International Space Station, or on a world with little or no atmosphere such as the moon or Mars without the protection of a space suit, then the following things would happen:

• You would lose consciousness because there is no oxygen. This could occur in as little as 15 seconds.
• Because there is no air pressure to keep your blood and body fluids in a liquid state, the fluids would "boil." Because the "boiling process" would cause them to lose heat energy rapidly, the fluids would freeze before they were evaporated totally (There is a cool display in San Francisco's science museum, The Exploratorium, that demonstrates this principle!). This process could take from 30 seconds to 1 minute. So, it was possible for astronaut David Bowman in "2001: A Space Odyssey" to survive when he ejected from the space pod into the airlock without a space helmet and repressurized the airlock within 30 seconds.
• Your tissues (skin, heart, other internal organs) would expand because of the boiling fluids. However, they would not "explode" as depicted in some science fiction movies, such as "Total Recall."
• You would face extreme changes in temperature: sunlight - 248 degrees Fahrenheit or 120 degrees Celsius;shade - minus 148 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 100 degrees Celsius
• You would be exposed to various types of radiation (cosmic rays) or charged particles emitted from the sun (solar wind).
• You could be hit by small particles of dust or rock that move at high speeds (micrometeoroids) or orbiting debris from satellites or spacecraft.

You would die quickly because of the first three things listed, probably in less than one minute. The movie "Mission to Mars" has a scene that realistically demonstrates what would happen if an astronaut's space suit were to rapidly lose pressure and be exposed to outer space. So to protect astronauts, NASA has developed elaborate space suits.

How long can a human survive in outer space?

 

[editor]

Here's a better explanation of what happened:

Astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station learned of the leak, which is not life-threatening, early this morning. Ground controllers noticed a slow drop in cabin pressure Wednesday night (Aug. 29) around 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT) and decided it wasn't significant enough to disrupt the crew's sleep schedule, NASA officials said in a statement. After rising at their usual hour, the crew began scoping out the Russian side of the space station to pinpoint the cause of the leak.

They then discovered a tiny hole in one of the Soyuz crew vehicles docked to Russia's Rassvet module, also known as the Mini Research Module, or MRM-1. The 0.08-inch-wide (2 millimeters) hole is in the orbital module, the upper portion of the spacecraft where the crew sits during flights to and from the space station. The Soyuz MS-09 arrived at the space station in June with six Expedition 56/57 crewmembers who are scheduled to depart in the same spacecraft in December

Astronauts Work to Seal Air Leak on Space Station. Here's How.

 

[HAL9000]

The instantaneous effects on a human when exposed to near-vacuum conditions

 

[HAL9000]

That Leak on The ISS Was Made by a Person.

Right now, the leading theory comes from an unnamed source at Energia, which told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti that "[t]he hole was made on the ground" and that "[t]he person responsible for the act of negligence has been identified".

Another anonymous source confirmed that the hole was accidentally drilled by a worker at Energia, who decided to hide their mistake with a seal and decorative fabric instead of reporting it.

For two months, the gamble paid off. Their patchy solution even managed to pass the spacecraft's pressurisation tests before it was launched into space to meet up with the ISS. But then, the seal began to leak.

That Leak on The ISS Was Made by a Person. Here's What We Know So Far

 

[Mrs Miggins]

It does seem like a very plausible explanation and if someone can make a hole in the space station and not own up to their mistake so that it can be fixed, I feel a lot less surprised about people not owning up to other work stuff that is a hell of a lot more minor. People are so weird and funny

 

[HAL9000]

This is what they try to do in aviation to get people to own up to mistakes......

"Just Culture" is a culture in which front-line operators and others are not punished for actions, omissions or decisions taken by them which are commensurate with their experience and training, but where gross negligence, wilful violations and destructive acts are not tolerated.

Just culture

 

[cybershot]

This might end up on the biggest cock up at work thread in a few years time!