Re:Space station leak caused by drill, not meteorite
by stcredzero on Wednesday September 05, 2018 @03:32PM
(#17921143)
A submarine is subject to much higher pressure differentials than aircraft or spacecraft (and also from the wrong directions for easy repairs from the inside) and I wouldn't recommend relying on it for long.
The story was that the discovery was one of horror. Basically, it was a tragedy averted. Also, the tape was on the outside, but I forget the particulars.
Re:Space station leak caused by drill, not meteorite
by rbanffy on Thursday September 06, 2018 @04:59AM
(#17924849)
I hope the crew knew about it and was ready to surface if it started leaking. Well... I guess submarine crews are a good model for astronauts in that they live surrounded by a lethal environment. The difference is that, if you venture outside low Earth orbit, you may be days away from safety, so an extra amount of zeal with improvised repairs may be warranted.
A submarine is subject to much higher pressure differentials than aircraft or spacecraft (and also from the wrong directions for easy repairs from the inside) and I wouldn't recommend relying on it for long. I'm not sure how speed tape would work if applied in a vacuum, but I guess most repairs like this would be done from the inside, under some pressurization. Speed tape would be better, but, if you have external thermal blankets over the hull, duct tape should do just fine. It's only 1 atmosphere, after all (0.25 if you can do pure oxygen).
Eventually, when you stop by a proper facility, you'll want to do something more permanent (and fix the thermal blankets/external hull, because, if it was a micrometeorite that reached the pressurized part, there must be a hole there too).