logoalt Hacker News

WalterBright • today at 6:56 AM • 3 replies • view on HN

Spacecraft are pressurized to much less than one atmosphere, because it reduces the stress on the craft, and the weight of the air supply.


Replies

dleary • today at 10:36 AM

I was curious and went to look up how low it was, and the references I can find online say that the ISS, the Space Shuttle, and the Crew Dragon are all at 1 atm.

It does say that the pressure in the Space Shuttle was decreased to about 70% atm for 24h before EVA.

Apollo was 1/3 atm 100% oxygen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station

https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/5690/why-is-the-br...

https://www.google.com/search?q=pressure+inside+the+space+sh...

https://www.google.com/search?q=pressure+inside+the+apollo+c...

dreamcompiler • today at 1:17 PM

Likewise commercial aircraft.

Tuna-Fish • today at 10:52 AM

This is actually a terrible idea, because to keep the air breathable you'd have to raise the oxygen fraction, making fire risk much worse. (Inert gases in air suppress fires by carrying away heat, making it harder to sustain a flame.)

➕ show 1 reply