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Author
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Topic: Ridding spacecraft smells by depressurization
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carmelo
Member Posts: 1051
From: Messina, Sicilia, Italia
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 04-05-2010 01:38 PM
   
We know that after many days inside a relatively small capsule, the cabin could stink a lot. See for example on Apollo 14, when the frogmen opened the hatch after the splashdown.But, in Apollo J missions, after the cabin depressurization for the Trans-Earth EVA (spacewalk), did the smell remain or go away? |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 04-05-2010 03:22 PM
That's an interesting question. If you keep a piece of very ripe cheese in a cupboard for 12 days then open the door...Does it make any difference if you keep the cheese in the cupboard for 10 days, then open the door, take it out, then put it back in for another two days? |
Lou Chinal
Member Posts: 1332
From: Staten Island, NY
Registered: Jun 2007
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posted 04-05-2010 03:27 PM
I think on the Apollo J mission's the smell would be fairly tolerable. But still it would be one spicy meat ball. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2458
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 04-05-2010 04:26 PM
I'm sure I've mentioned this on another thread. It was generally thought that the worst job in the space programme fell to the guy who had to open the hatch. The only good thing about it was that having done it once, you weren't asked to do it again. |
Colin E. Anderton
Member Posts: 63
From: Newmarket, Suffolk, England
Registered: Feb 2009
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posted 04-06-2010 07:58 AM
I think I recall Charlie Duke saying he had to go back to the capsule to retrieve something, and was nearly sick when he put his head inside.
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Max Q
Member Posts: 399
From: Whyalla South Australia
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 04-07-2010 02:04 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Blackarrow:
Does it make any difference if you keep the cheese in the cupboard for 10 days, then open the door, take it out, then put it back in for another two days?
This makes me wonder, did they dump all the atmosphere from the cabin into space or where they able to capture it some fashion? And if they dumped it, how many times where they able to do this before the astronauts would have had to hold their breath all the way home?  |
Scott
Member Posts: 3307
From: Houston, TX
Registered: May 2001
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posted 04-07-2010 09:56 AM
As I recall from reading Moonwalker, Duke said that the dieticians put extra potassium in the Apollo 16 crew's food, due to low potassium problems during Apollo 15. The effect of the increased potassium was, well ...And he mentioned there being extra hydrogen in their drinking water (created by the fuel cells), which caused another problem.  He said when he walked on the deck of the vessel after being picked up, the servicemen seemed to be keeping their distance from him. He did not really know the reason until, as Colin mentioned above, he went back to capsule and the smell inside it (to paraphrase him) nearly knocked him over. |
webhamster
Member Posts: 106
From: Ottawa, Canada
Registered: Jul 2008
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posted 04-07-2010 10:24 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Scott:
As I recall from reading Moonwalker, Duke said that the dieticians put extra potassium in the Apollo 16 crew's food, due to low potassium problems during Apollo 15. The effect of the increased potassium was, well ...
Yeah, the transcript of Young and Duke on the moon complaining about the potassium-laced orange juice is utter gold. The ALSJ has one exchange with Tony England starting at 128:18:33 until 128:19:42 and then the "John & Charlie Show" in the LM starting at 128:50:37. |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 04-09-2010 05:05 PM
I've talked to astronauts before and all are pretty much in agreement that if you are inside the ripe area, your olfactory senses tune out the odor anyway. If a new smell is introduced, one can smell it for a little bit. But eventually it fades too.Now, if you go away from the source of the stink to a clean area and then come back, well it becomes a whole new odor sensation again and one can smell it until the olfactories again become desensitized to it. One way you can experiment is to go into the bathroom and do your business at the kamode. Then walk away (don't turn on the fan, but flush it). Return after five minutes and the smell that you couldn't smell before is likely still there and it is a tad overpowering. Don Herbert, Mr. Wizard from the old TV days did a similar experiment where he would blindfold a kid and put a powerful smell in front of their nose. When the kid would no longer smell the odor, he would say "away" indicating that he thought the odor source was taken away. Usually, the kid would say "away" after about twenty seconds and the odor source would still be there. But since the olfactories had become desensitized to the odor, they could no longer smell it. |
Lou Chinal
Member Posts: 1332
From: Staten Island, NY
Registered: Jun 2007
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posted 04-10-2010 11:53 AM
Ah yes... being a kid that "tried this at home". My mother still gives me dirty looks over that one.Does anyone know if Don Herbert is still alive? |
webhamster
Member Posts: 106
From: Ottawa, Canada
Registered: Jul 2008
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posted 04-10-2010 08:48 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Lou Chinal:
Does anyone know if Don Herbert is still alive?
Don Herbert died of cancer in June 2007 just shy of age 90. It's sad too. I have great memories of watching Mr. Wizard's World before school in the living room with a bowl of oatmeal on my lap and my mother giving me that "be careful with that, young man" look. Just thinking about that show made me search YouTube for clips. Let's all enjoy Mr. Wizard teaching us about the Atari 1200XL and showing us the mysteries of siphons. |
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