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International Effort Brings an Open Standard For Docking In Space
FTL writes "Engineers from the US, Russia, Japan, Canada and Europe have come together to publish an International Docking Standard for spaceships. Currently the space station has three different types of incompatible docking ports, and the Chinese are developing their own. Standardizing on one type would permit interoperability and facilitate emergency rescues."
I'm always going to prefer the Blue Danube Waltz while docking..... if for no other reason than nostalgia. Who remembers the docking computers in the C64 version of Elite?
Besides the point though, as people have done Everest without oxygen anyways, right?
Only acclimatising for a long time. The natural atmosphere at that altitude is only marginally survivable. If you dump the atmosphere from a 747 at 30000 feet most people would die quickly.
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I've been wondering why we don't use an oxy-helium combination, actually. Does anyone know?
Might have something to do with this
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"I can't complain, but sometimes still do..." Joe Walsh
N2 is rather inert, and (along with high-quality flue gas, the noble gasses, and various N2/noble gas mixtures) is often referred to as an "inert gas". Perhaps you're confusing "inert gas" with "noble gas", or perhaps you slept through high school chemistry.
Why would you? Oxy-helium is used in high pressure environments where nitrogen becomes a narcotic. In a space ship the last thing you want is high pressure.
Helium is kind of a pain too. It tends to leak through seals a lot faster than other gasses.