Survival May

My Survival May Term course is getting underway, slowly. I'm a bit intimidated by my own design of the course, as it's going to require a lot of work on my end, but I hope all goes well. I've fashioned an introductory quiz, just to see where the baseline of knowledge falls on different topics. Feel free to take it yourself and see how you do. Drop me a link if you want it. Also, check out what I found on Aerospace web, about the decompression tests NASA did in the '60s:

"Members of PETA may want to stop reading now, because most of the experimentation to determine these findings was conducted on animals. Chimpanzees and dogs were particularly common subjects used during decompression and recompression tests. Several of these studies determined that a subject experiencing a rapid decompression to a vacuum will retain some level of consciousness for between nine and twelve seconds. Unconsciousness only occurs once the supply of oxygen in the blood is depleted. Furthermore, a human will have no more than five to ten seconds to take any action in response to the decompression. Shortly after losing consciousness, the body will experience paralysis followed by convulsions and finally paralysis again. Water vapor also begins forming in soft tissue causing the body to swell, perhaps to as much as twice its normal volume if not constrained by a suit. Over the next 30 to 60 seconds, heart rate slows, blood pressure drops, and blood circulation stops. Gases and water vapor rapidly escape through the mouth and nose causing these parts of the body to drop to near freezing temperatures. The rest of the body cools more slowly.

Although some animal subjects perished due to fibrillation of the heart within the first minute of exposure, these cases proved the exception and an air-breathing creature will almost always recover if recompression occurs within 90 seconds. Breathing usually begins spontaneously without any need for outside resuscitation. However, resuscitation becomes impossible after heart activity has stopped regardless of recompression time."

"Researchers concluded that although a subject's condition may appear grave after vacuum exposure, recompression to even as little as 0.25 atmospheres within 60 to 90 seconds will usually allow survival and a complete recovery within a short period of time."

"One of the worst things a person can do, however, is to try holding his breath. The difference in pressure this creates will cause the lungs to rupture. This type of injury is almost always fatal."

Fascinating, no? You have maybe 10 seconds to react and 90 seconds to reverse. Worth knowing? I think so.