1 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff the Ball your Mind. 3 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Julie Douglas, and 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: we would like for you to just just take a 5 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: moment to imagine Benjamin Franklin in space. Now, Benjamin Franklin 6 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: had his uh, with his old timy clothes on. Oh yes, yes, 7 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,120 Speaker 1: the whole nine yards. We're not going to skimp on this. 8 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 1: Benjamin Franklin in space. We want a hundreds Benjamin Franklin 9 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: in space. That means uh, you know, the experiments, the 10 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: the the the proclivity for for French ladies of ill repute, 11 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: mac and cheese, mac and cheese. Oh sorry, that was 12 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: Thomas Jefferson. Yeah, and kind of like mac and cheese. Okay, 13 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: I'm seeing this. I'm seeing him holding onto a kite yep, 14 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: maybe maybe maybe not, And I'm seeing him with his 15 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: space suit on over his old timey clothes, but then 16 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: walking out onto the the exterior area of the ship 17 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: for his his air bath. I knew, I knew you 18 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 1: were going to take us there, Robert lamp. When you 19 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: say air bath, you mean a jaunt in the nude yes, 20 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: because because ben Ben Franklin, of course, he he was 21 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: a big fan of of sleeping half the night through 22 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: than getting up and uh spending a little time just 23 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: setting around in the buff in the open air, reading 24 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: a little bit, and then getting tired of getting going 25 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: back to bed. And there there's there's a lot of 26 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: there are a lot of studies that show that this 27 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: is probably actually a very reasonable way to sleep. The 28 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: nude reading is you know, left to the individuals. I 29 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: was going to say that the getting up in the 30 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: middle of the night and sort of maximizing sleep patterns, 31 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: not necessarily taking an air bath, as he called it, nude. Now, 32 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: of course, there's no air outside of his spaceship. Um 33 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: So if Benjamin Franklin did venture out of the airlock 34 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: in the buff, what would happen? You know? Would would 35 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: eyeballs would bulge, he would explode into a million meat pieces, yes, 36 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,640 Speaker 1: and froze, he would freeze and shatter. That's the thing 37 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: we've we've seen so many different versions of what this 38 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:18,079 Speaker 1: might consist of in science fiction and if you look 39 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: look at the various things that have been written about 40 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,519 Speaker 1: it too, from even from a scientific perspective. Um, it 41 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,399 Speaker 1: can get a little confusing at times because our ideas 42 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,640 Speaker 1: are sort of shifted over time and uh and and 43 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: some some things that we thought would happen haven't really happened. 44 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: And thankfully it's not something we have a tremendous amount 45 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: of data on, because we we aren't just throwing naked 46 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: astronauts out the airlock in space. We're not doing a 47 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: whole bunch of horrific decompression experiments just to see what 48 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: would happen in these cases. Instead, we're taking all due 49 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: precautions with our our astronauts and ensuring that these highly 50 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: valuable individuals can carry on their daily task in safety. Yeah. 51 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:01,679 Speaker 1: And so we we thought we would take this uh 52 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: sci fi trope that's death by vacuum and really examine 53 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: it and see what would happen and the various ways 54 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: that that we do try to protect our astronauts. Yeah. 55 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: So a good starting place for this system to mention 56 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,919 Speaker 1: just a few of them, the more notable examples that 57 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: will refer back to as we progress. First of all, 58 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: there is two thousand and one of Space Odyssey, which 59 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: we often mentioned and everyone pretty much often mentions is 60 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 1: one of the best sci fi films of all time, 61 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 1: and really there's nothing like it. I recently watched it 62 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: again and it's just it's stunning and uh and long 63 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: and a little confusing, but I mean, all these things disorienting, 64 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: and it just makes you think it's it's psychedelic, it's 65 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: it's as at times it's it's it's hard science fiction 66 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: in a way that it feels so real, that feels 67 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: more real than it feels like a more real version 68 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: of the future, a more genuine version of the future 69 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: than we actually have grown into. And then and then 70 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: there's other stuff in it that is just completely out there, 71 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: that's just you know, the mind meeting the unknown. But 72 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: there is one scene in which, after not Dave Bowman, Uh, Dave, 73 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: what are you doing? Dave? That Dave, you can do 74 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: the Dave voice, do it, Dave, what are you doing? Dave? 75 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 1: Are you taking off your clothes and going for spacewalk? 76 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: Well he doesn't do it in the nude, but he's 77 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,840 Speaker 1: space walks for about fifteen seconds with no helmet, and uh, 78 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: it doesn't appear to cause him any pain. Uh. He 79 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,240 Speaker 1: re enters the Discovery through an open hatch and just 80 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:32,719 Speaker 1: carries on. And the modern viewers that he just comes 81 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: up like a complete badass because he's just he's unfazed 82 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:37,279 Speaker 1: by it. He's just like, all right, it just drifted 83 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: through the void, no helmet on. Now I'm good to go. 84 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go shut down this computer. So there's that version. 85 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: Then there's there's Mission to Mars, in which Tim Robbins 86 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: takes his helmet off and his face like instantly freezes 87 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: and distorts and he's dead just in a second. Um, 88 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 1: which is I think a typical response to watching that 89 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: movie and its entirety as well. Um, there's Outland, which 90 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: is really a very enjoyable film. I don't know if 91 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: you've seen this. When this one is a shot, it's 92 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:10,600 Speaker 1: it's great because you have Sean Connery as the good 93 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 1: guy and I think believe Peter Boyle plays the villain. 94 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:15,760 Speaker 1: And it's like a mining colony in space. It's basically 95 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: a space Western. I mean, it is a straight up 96 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: space Western, and it's a hell of a lot of fun. 97 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: I have secretly hope that Nicholas winding Refin will we'll 98 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 1: do a remakeup it. It will probably never happen, but 99 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:30,279 Speaker 1: I think it would be great for it. But there's 100 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: are a whole bunch of scenes where uh, guys in 101 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:36,160 Speaker 1: space suits are shot. It ruptures their suit and then 102 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:39,040 Speaker 1: their heads swell up like a balloon and then pop 103 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: and it's you know, and to to the modern viewer, 104 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: it's it's it's a lot of fun, but as we'll discuss, 105 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:48,840 Speaker 1: it's complete hooey as far as what would actually happen. Um. 106 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: There's the movie Event Horizon, which, uh, it's a supernatural 107 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:57,360 Speaker 1: space film that teenage Robert Lamb loved, could not get 108 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 1: enough of. Modern Robert Lamb that does not really want 109 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 1: to see it again. But in this film, a character 110 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: passes through the space without a suit briefly and he survives, 111 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: but it's a very traumatic experience and I believe he 112 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: suffered some sort of blindness from it. Um and they 113 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 1: are also I believe they prep him by getting him 114 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: to it to push all the air out of his 115 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:22,239 Speaker 1: lungs before he goes. Now. In Sunshine, communications Officer Harvey 116 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,920 Speaker 1: tries to jump from one spaceship to another, and he 117 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 1: tries to do it without a suit and doesn't quite 118 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:33,160 Speaker 1: make it, and within a minute or so his his 119 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 1: arm is really so brittle that it breaks off like 120 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 1: an icicle. Yeah, which makes for a good cinem I mean, 121 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: you know, Danny Boyle is a great filmmaker. So Sunshine 122 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: is a beautiful film to watch, but not not all 123 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: the science. It's gonna really line up. But some of 124 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: the things that you're hearing already swelling, freezing, Uh what 125 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 1: else is there any other swelling, freezing, exploding? Um? I 126 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 1: don't know if any of these another ones we looked 127 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: at really went into burning, but that is a concern. 128 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: Would be easy to say, oh, you would just catch fire, 129 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:04,839 Speaker 1: or one you wouldn't catch fire, but I don't know, 130 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 1: you would just turn into beef jerky. I guess could 131 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: be another possible example, and I'm sure somebody has used 132 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: that somewhere in science fiction, right, although we don't get 133 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: that's not an angle that comes up much, but it 134 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: is a real possibility, So I could see it being 135 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: a possible distortion of what could happen. Is right, And 136 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: these distortions really do have some basis to them. It 137 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: does not mean that if you were to take off 138 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 1: your space suit that you would explode, but it does 139 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 1: mean that there's a measure of swelling going on in 140 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: the body. And we'll get more into that. But I 141 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: think that's what's so intriguing about this idea, that's a death, 142 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: death by vacuum. Yes, so at this point we should 143 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 1: we should take a step back and let's say, let's 144 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,120 Speaker 1: look at space itself. Let's look at the void and 145 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: discuss exactly what this environment is. And then we'll say, well, 146 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:48,240 Speaker 1: we'll answer the question what would this do to an 147 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 1: individual without a space suit, an individual without a helmet, 148 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: or indeed a naked Benjamin Franklin just floating about without restraint, 149 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: with with less restraint than usual. Well, um, one of 150 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: the things I wanted to mention all the it has 151 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 1: really no impact on whether or not someone would explode 152 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: in space without a space suit. Is sound? Okay, there 153 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: is no sound in space, right. Sound travels by making 154 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 1: molecules vibrate, So in order for sound travel, there has 155 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 1: to be something with molecules fort to travel through. On Earth, 156 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 1: sound travels to your ears by vibrating air molecules. In 157 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 1: deep space, the large empty areas between stars and plants, 158 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 1: there are no molecules to vibrate. There is no sound, 159 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: making it that much more creepy for our sci fi 160 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: body explosion to happen. Yeah, in space, no one can 161 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: hear you scream. Right, that's the that's the Aliens tagline, right, 162 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 1: that's it, that's his tagline. So yeah, So in space 163 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: we have the void, we have a vacuum. So first 164 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: of all, obviously there's no oxygen. That's just the no brainer. 165 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: But of course there's furthermore, there's no atmosphere. There's no 166 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 1: atmospheric pressure hugging you in. We've discussed in the podcast 167 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 1: we just recorded about emotions in space that of course 168 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,320 Speaker 1: here on Earth there is air pressure. There's all this 169 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: heavy air doesn't seem like it has any eight or 170 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: pressure to it, but it's constantly pressing in on us. 171 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,480 Speaker 1: It's hugging us. It's like a corset that we have 172 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 1: worn so long we no longer realize we're wearing it. 173 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: But take that corset off and stuff is just gonna 174 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 1: float free. That's right, because there is an absence of 175 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: matter in space. Also, the temperature it's cold, Yeah, it's uh, certainly, 176 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 1: space itself doesn't really have a temperature because it's just 177 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: the void. So I mean, here's the thing. When it 178 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 1: comes to heat transfer, they're basically three ways that it 179 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: takes place, there's radiation, there's convection, and there's conduction. Radiation 180 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:39,200 Speaker 1: is the only method of heat transfer for objects in 181 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,880 Speaker 1: a vacuum. So you end up in the situation where, 182 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: even though the void around you is not going to be, 183 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: you know, pressing up against you with some temperature, you're 184 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:55,440 Speaker 1: exposed to some really severe uh examples of temperature variation 185 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:58,720 Speaker 1: uh in terms of really cold stuff and then also 186 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:02,440 Speaker 1: really hot uh. The heat coming from the radiation. For instance, 187 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 1: uh NASA's bulky white space shoot suits that they wear 188 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 1: in the spacewalks. So let's say you're out there, you're working. 189 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: Let's say you've got your back turned to cold, dead space, 190 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 1: and then your your front is turned towards the sun. Well, 191 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:19,840 Speaker 1: they have found that there can be upwards of a 192 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:23,680 Speaker 1: two hundred and seventy five degree farenheight difference from one 193 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:26,839 Speaker 1: side to the other, just based on where you're you're 194 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:29,080 Speaker 1: facing just that kind of an extreme. So the white 195 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 1: is reflective and you're not absorbing that heat. Right. It's 196 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: another One of the other things that springs to mind too, 197 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 1: is a lunar dust. Back when we were sending people 198 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:41,559 Speaker 1: to the Moon, you had to be concerned with the 199 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: fact that are you have this this white uh space, 200 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 1: and it's reflecting all of this solar radiation. So it's uh, 201 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,800 Speaker 1: you know, it's keeping you from absorbing all of this heat. 202 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:54,560 Speaker 1: Uh you're reflecting it, but get coated in some dark 203 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:57,599 Speaker 1: moon dust and suddenly you'll start absorbing it and it 204 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: could bake you alive. Not a good way to go. 205 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:02,160 Speaker 1: Not a good way to go. Uh. And that's not 206 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: really a plot line you see much and stuff by movies. No, 207 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:06,679 Speaker 1: but it could be used as a weapon. I mean, 208 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:10,400 Speaker 1: that's it's it's it's an underutilized idea there. You know. 209 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: It's like all you need is a black paint gun. 210 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: It goes without saying that in a vacuum, most liquids 211 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:18,560 Speaker 1: have a such a low boiling point that they vaporize 212 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 1: almost instantly. But that is a reminder that we just 213 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 1: don't have moisture floating around in space. In fact, in 214 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:29,080 Speaker 1: the past, when astronauts have urinated, the results were expelled 215 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 1: into space where it boiled violently, and then the vapor 216 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:36,319 Speaker 1: then passed immediately into a solid state. It's a process 217 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 1: known as d sublimation, and you end up with a 218 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:44,080 Speaker 1: cloud of really fine crystals of frozen urine, which is 219 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: sort of a beautiful thing. Yeah, yeah, I've I've heard 220 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 1: it described as being fairly beautiful. In fact, I think 221 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: that some astronauts had mistaken those crystals for distant stars. 222 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,439 Speaker 1: There's some accounts of that name them after themselves. Yeah, 223 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 1: all right, But you've touched on something with the with 224 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:03,600 Speaker 1: the with the liquids boiling, because because you often hear 225 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 1: the idea too that oh, if you're exposed to the void, 226 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:09,240 Speaker 1: your blood would boil and you would just it would 227 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: just be this awful mess like and I mean just 228 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 1: that idea of boiling blood is just hellish and awful, 229 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 1: and it you can see where people would really get 230 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 1: attached to the notion. So you have these visions, you know, 231 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,560 Speaker 1: if the blood boiling in the skin and like you know, 232 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 1: blood vapor coming out of people or making you inflate 233 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: and explode, and of course that's that's not going to 234 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:31,120 Speaker 1: happen um because of the containing effect of the skin 235 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 1: in the circulatory system. So you swell a bit naked, 236 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:37,000 Speaker 1: Benjamin Franklin would kind of bloat a little bit. But 237 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:40,200 Speaker 1: the but the body, yeah, more, but the body itself 238 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 1: is its own kind of precious suit for this kind 239 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:46,160 Speaker 1: of thing, And and it keeps dissolved tissues in a 240 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:49,560 Speaker 1: liquid stage, so only body flu is directly exposed to 241 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 1: the vacuum would actually boil away. And uh, marriage says 242 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,240 Speaker 1: has happened to a NASA test subject a leaky space 243 00:12:57,280 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 1: suit in an altitude chamber. The last thing he recalled 244 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 1: before of losing consciousness with the sensation of his saliva 245 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: bubbling on its tongue, which is kind of awful and 246 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,320 Speaker 1: cool at the same time. Um, let's talk about space 247 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 1: suits real quick, just because I want to talk about 248 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 1: how they do actually protect astronauts of space. They have 249 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:15,840 Speaker 1: pressurized atmosphere, so the space suit provides air pressure to 250 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 1: keep the fluids in your body in a liquid state. 251 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: Oxygen space suits must apply pure oxygen because of a 252 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,719 Speaker 1: low pressure, and then of course you've got regulated temperature. 253 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:29,079 Speaker 1: Now let's take a quick break, and when we get 254 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:31,440 Speaker 1: back we can talk about what happens when you strip 255 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 1: off a space suit. All right, we're back. So we've 256 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 1: been talking about some of the science fiction ideas about 257 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: what happens when you take your space suit off in 258 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:55,200 Speaker 1: the void. We've mentioned some of the attributes of the 259 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 1: void there's no air, there's no pressure, that the solar 260 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: adiation can just quickly heat things up a whole lot 261 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:08,600 Speaker 1: to two pretty uh hellish temperatures. And then likewise that 262 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:11,839 Speaker 1: there's the cold, chilling void to concern yourself with as well. 263 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:15,040 Speaker 1: So we've been taught tackling the question what what would 264 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:18,040 Speaker 1: actually happen? What actually does happen when the body's exposed 265 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 1: to this kind of environment. Well, you rip off your 266 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: space suit and you get about fifteen seconds some saying 267 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: between nine and leven depending uh, and that is about 268 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:33,240 Speaker 1: roughly how much time it takes for deoxygenated blood to 269 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:35,680 Speaker 1: circulate from your lungs to your brain. So when I 270 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 1: say you get fifteen seconds, fifteen seconds of consciousness left. Yeah, 271 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: and this is going to be the big kicker, you know, 272 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 1: for for what's happening out there. This is ultimately going 273 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,040 Speaker 1: to be the factor for a niked Benjamin Franklin on 274 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 1: the exterior, right. I mean it's kind of awful because 275 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:54,080 Speaker 1: it could be fifteen seconds where you witness your demise, 276 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:57,000 Speaker 1: or it could be fifteen seconds. Uh And if someone 277 00:14:57,040 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: can act quickly, well, then you could be resuscitated. It 278 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:03,120 Speaker 1: is possible. Um, But The deal is is that the 279 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 1: sucking the air from your lungs is part of why shoot. 280 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:10,880 Speaker 1: But the deal is is that the sucking the air 281 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: from your lungs is is really part and parcel of 282 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: why your demise would come on. See, when you're placed 283 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:19,680 Speaker 1: in a vacuum, the gas exchange process works and reverse 284 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: your lyngs actually pull oxygen out of the body and 285 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: dump it back into the lungs where it's exhaled, which 286 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 1: only serves to hasten the onset of hypoxia. Yeah. Yeah, 287 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: the the air rushes out explosively even and can really 288 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 1: damage the lungs in the throat. Um. And it's all 289 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:40,120 Speaker 1: because of this tremendous pressure differential inside versus the outside. Yeah. 290 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 1: And as you had mentioned, Um, the the spit any 291 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: sort of liquid on your tongue and sweat on your 292 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: body would boil away. Um. This has been described as 293 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,440 Speaker 1: a fizzy feeling like drinking soda and water. Vapor will 294 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 1: form rapidly in the soft tissues and somewhat less rapidly 295 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 1: in the venous blood, causing swelling. So there's this idea 296 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 1: of you know, our sci fi idea of exp loading. Yeah, 297 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:02,520 Speaker 1: and also it comes back to that, I believe it 298 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 1: is the event horizon um scene where they said, make 299 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,920 Speaker 1: sure you get all the air out of your lungs 300 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: because you're about to be exposed to the void. Yeah, 301 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:14,480 Speaker 1: apparently holding your breath makes it worse. Yes, do not 302 00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:17,680 Speaker 1: hold your breath when exposed to a vacuum. Um. The 303 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 1: number of other factors that they can come into play. 304 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 1: I mean, this can essentially give you the bends. They 305 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 1: can force the air bubbles into your blood vessels. Uh. 306 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: There a whole lot of nasty things that can happen 307 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:30,840 Speaker 1: to the human body without even getting into the realm 308 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: of exploding heads. You know, just the moisture in your nose, eyes, 309 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 1: and mouth that evaporates, causing localized frost bite. As you 310 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: had mentioned before, exposed skin begins to burn, um, so 311 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 1: you get an extreme uh sunburn, your dermal tissues begin 312 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: to swell. And when it comes to the idea of 313 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 1: freezing or turning into beef jerokee. Well, first of all, 314 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 1: it's it's worth noting that that you would have to 315 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: worry about getting a pretty bad sunburn if you were 316 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 1: out there without a suit. But in terms of like 317 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: freezing solid and chattering like in sunshine or going all 318 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 1: of you know, frozen face like Tim Robbins uh in 319 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:09,879 Speaker 1: Mission to Mars. Uh. Here's a quick quote from a 320 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:12,480 Speaker 1: fill over at bad Astronomer, and he says, the human 321 00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:14,640 Speaker 1: body holds a lot of heat, and it would take 322 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:17,000 Speaker 1: a long time to freeze. Have you ever found yourself 323 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 1: literally freezing solid when you go outside on a winter's day? No, 324 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:22,600 Speaker 1: of course not yet. Losing heat by transferring it to 325 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,359 Speaker 1: cold air is far faster than doing so by simply 326 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: radiating it away as you would in space. If it 327 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:30,440 Speaker 1: takes a long time in frigid air, it would take 328 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:34,840 Speaker 1: even longer in frigid space. So there you have it. 329 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:37,879 Speaker 1: As far as the idea of shattering astronauts, uh, it 330 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:39,960 Speaker 1: would take you would have to find an astronaut e 331 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,280 Speaker 1: that been floating free for quite a bit before they're 332 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: going to actually just you know, break into pieces. Right right, 333 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,880 Speaker 1: your body is gonna cool slowly, relatively coolly, uh or slowly, 334 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:51,719 Speaker 1: I should say. And then the hypoxia that you experience 335 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:53,720 Speaker 1: really does have its own set of issues, including a 336 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:56,960 Speaker 1: loss of vision of course, wits at that point, followed 337 00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:02,120 Speaker 1: by convulsions, um, lots of consciousness and uh, cyanosis when 338 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:04,359 Speaker 1: your skin turns blue. So at this point you're not 339 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: dead really, Um, you're just kind of you're on your 340 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:09,200 Speaker 1: way there. Your brain is still functional, in your heart 341 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,400 Speaker 1: is still going, and you can still be revived according 342 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:17,200 Speaker 1: to NASA, with surprisingly minimal permanent injury if if you 343 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:20,600 Speaker 1: are immediately returned to an atmosphere and this savior window 344 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 1: is only ninety seconds long. Now, there was an accidental 345 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 1: experiment with US, and NASA actually has us on the 346 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:32,640 Speaker 1: website in the section that fields all the various questions 347 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,120 Speaker 1: they get. They say, at NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center, which 348 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:39,320 Speaker 1: is now renamed Jonathan Space Center, we had a test 349 00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:43,240 Speaker 1: subject accidentally exposed to a near vacuum in an incident 350 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:46,160 Speaker 1: involving a leaking space suit in a vacuum chamber back 351 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,400 Speaker 1: in sixty five. He remained conscious for about fourteen seconds, 352 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:53,800 Speaker 1: and uh, they began to re pressurize the chamber within 353 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 1: fifteen seconds and then he regaining consciousness. So he was fine. 354 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:00,080 Speaker 1: But you know, all those things did not have in 355 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,240 Speaker 1: his blood to not boil his eyeballs, did not you know, 356 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:07,080 Speaker 1: explode out of his head. Yeah, based on everything that 357 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 1: then we've been reading when you compare real life to fiction, 358 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:13,800 Speaker 1: when you compare science to science fiction, the two thousand 359 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 1: and one example is pretty spot on, except he wouldn't 360 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 1: be so spotless on the other side. It would he 361 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:22,600 Speaker 1: would look and feel like he'd kind of been beaten 362 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:26,120 Speaker 1: up a lot more from that brief space walk. Um. Yeah, 363 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:27,879 Speaker 1: because in addition to that swelling, you'd have a lot 364 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:29,920 Speaker 1: of bruising as well. Yeah, so he'd be pretty battered. 365 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:31,760 Speaker 1: He wouldn't just you know, shake it off, no matter 366 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:35,280 Speaker 1: how you know, tough an astronaut he really is. Yeah, 367 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:38,080 Speaker 1: So I Ben Franklin would be uh, he'd be okay. 368 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:40,199 Speaker 1: That ninety two window a little worse for wear, but 369 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:43,200 Speaker 1: he would be okay. Now I can't help but think 370 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:45,639 Speaker 1: back to some stuff we talked about in our episode 371 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:49,399 Speaker 1: the Werewolf Principle, where we talked about cyborgs in space. Uh, 372 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: cyborgs in space, of course, was this paper by Manford E. 373 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:56,560 Speaker 1: Klins and Nathan S. Klein published in Astronautics in September 374 00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:59,119 Speaker 1: of nineteen sixty and it was pretty pivotal, like they 375 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:02,439 Speaker 1: basically infinite the word cyborg um. And they were talking, 376 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,920 Speaker 1: I mean, their whole thesis here was let us consider 377 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,920 Speaker 1: changing the organism to meet the demands of a new environment, 378 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:15,160 Speaker 1: instead of bringing a portion of that organism's native environment 379 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:18,120 Speaker 1: with them into hostile environments. In other words, the whole 380 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:21,359 Speaker 1: problem with with the humans exposing themselves to the void 381 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 1: and suffering all this damage is because, surprise, surprise, we 382 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 1: are not meant we are we we are not meant, 383 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 1: we are not We have not evolved to live in 384 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:34,119 Speaker 1: that kind of an environment. Um, So to what extent 385 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:38,440 Speaker 1: could we change ourselves to better deal with an environment 386 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:40,679 Speaker 1: like that? Here's a quick quote from that paper, just 387 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:43,439 Speaker 1: to refresh everybody. They said, give man in space, in 388 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:46,119 Speaker 1: addition to flying his vehicle, must continually be checking on 389 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: things and making adjustments, merely in order to keep himself alive. 390 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:51,919 Speaker 1: He becomes a slave to the machine. The purpose of 391 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:55,879 Speaker 1: the cyborg, as well as his own homeostatic systems, is 392 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:59,359 Speaker 1: to provide an organizational system in which such robot like 393 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:03,440 Speaker 1: problems are taken care of automatically and unconsciously, leaving man 394 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:05,919 Speaker 1: free to explore, to create, to think, and to feel. 395 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 1: So among the various things that that the author suggested, 396 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: uh they brought up enzymes enzyme tinkering to create anaerobic organisms. 397 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:18,200 Speaker 1: In other words, astronauts that don't require air or can 398 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:23,359 Speaker 1: live in different atmospheres lower body pressure to facilitate space walks. 399 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:26,160 Speaker 1: I don't know about naked spacewalks, but to to make 400 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 1: it less of a you know, a differential um and 401 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:32,080 Speaker 1: and various other options as well. So it so it's 402 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:33,960 Speaker 1: not quite a magic ball that allows us to see 403 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:35,920 Speaker 1: exactly what we might be doing in the future. But 404 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,439 Speaker 1: but I love that that even this, this older paper 405 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:42,400 Speaker 1: did force us to think about an age when we're 406 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:47,679 Speaker 1: changing ourselves to deal with space well. And um, you know, 407 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:51,440 Speaker 1: you have European Space Agency tests that are looking at 408 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,840 Speaker 1: something like an Arthur Pod like creature Tarte grade to 409 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:57,840 Speaker 1: try to find out why this particular creature can survive 410 00:21:57,880 --> 00:21:59,720 Speaker 1: in the vacuum for up to ten days. You know, 411 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:03,560 Speaker 1: what what special about was going on in its physiology 412 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:06,679 Speaker 1: and what might we borrow from it. Now, as you 413 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 1: mentioned that that, um, that paper really was pressent in 414 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:12,760 Speaker 1: the in the sense that it was trying to figure 415 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:15,679 Speaker 1: out the various ways that we would try to adapt 416 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,200 Speaker 1: ourselves with the technology that we have. We know that 417 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 1: Mars is on the books forties or at least that's 418 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:24,199 Speaker 1: the idea right now. That doesn't mean that we're going 419 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,959 Speaker 1: to be taking naked spacewalks. But the longer we are 420 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:31,040 Speaker 1: in space, the more time that you know that, if 421 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:34,160 Speaker 1: you're run a three year mission, um, the more your 422 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,919 Speaker 1: chances of having these sort of issues come up with 423 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 1: space suits depress rising, and so the more interesting this 424 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 1: question becomes what happens when you expose yourself to the vacuum? 425 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:50,320 Speaker 1: And it's not just this you know, romantic side death 426 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 1: drive of just floating off into space you know, forever more. 427 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: But it really is this fascinating question of how what 428 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:02,960 Speaker 1: actually happens to yourself and how how could you so 429 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:07,119 Speaker 1: you know, go beyond your human limits? H it Also, 430 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:10,399 Speaker 1: I can't help but think I guess that the fiction 431 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:13,840 Speaker 1: uh writer and sci fi fantomy can't help but imagine 432 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,320 Speaker 1: what if what have we we reached a point where 433 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 1: exposure to the void was like a rite of passage, 434 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:23,000 Speaker 1: you know, like um like I think that I think 435 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:25,400 Speaker 1: the various things here on Earth that like the interstellar 436 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 1: right of passage? Yeah, like well, like for instance, I 437 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:30,960 Speaker 1: think to the George R. Martin books and there's like 438 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,719 Speaker 1: a there are a group of people there that live 439 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: in the Iron Islands, and they're all sort of like vikings, 440 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 1: but but they have this right of passage that they 441 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:42,720 Speaker 1: all go through where they're all essentially drowned and resuscitated, 442 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,200 Speaker 1: and it's about forging the relationship with the water and 443 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:48,879 Speaker 1: uh and uh and there were their their religion and 444 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 1: the way they view the water and their eventual return 445 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:54,760 Speaker 1: to the ocean in the form of drowning or death. 446 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:59,320 Speaker 1: So I can't help but imagine something similar with with 447 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:01,400 Speaker 1: with ast Not's in the future, Like what have would 448 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:04,000 Speaker 1: have to become a man or to become a um, 449 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:08,080 Speaker 1: you know, a full pledged adult, uh, space faring human, 450 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: you had to do those nine seconds in the void, 451 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:14,119 Speaker 1: you know, and and be changed by it. I'm just 452 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:19,800 Speaker 1: imagining this uh future, Tony Robbins, that's right, what I 453 00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:24,399 Speaker 1: guess thinking about the firewalking. Yeah, a very extreme, very 454 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 1: dangerous form of firewalking. We've terraformed several planets. You've got 455 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:31,440 Speaker 1: this interstellar right of passage. If you want to show 456 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 1: your how strong you are as a human, then you 457 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:37,159 Speaker 1: will expose yourself to the void. Yeah, surely somebody has 458 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: done that before. If they haven't, I thought of it first. 459 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:42,959 Speaker 1: So cut me in on the deal. That's right, all right, Well, 460 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:48,520 Speaker 1: there you have it, Um, spacewalk nude, Ben Franklin, Ben Franklin. 461 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,680 Speaker 1: He's not gonna explode, he's not gonna boil, but he's 462 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:54,199 Speaker 1: he's gonna die, That's all there is to it. But 463 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:56,800 Speaker 1: unless he gets inside within a certain amount of time 464 00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: nine seconds, and we have some people on hand to 465 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,639 Speaker 1: revive him. On that note, let's call over the robot 466 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:07,040 Speaker 1: and have a little listener mail. You know, we heard, 467 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:09,480 Speaker 1: we heard a lot of stuff back regarding our episode 468 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:12,480 Speaker 1: on watch Stoppers, on the idea that some people just 469 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:17,440 Speaker 1: cannot wear watches because they have crazy electronic signals going 470 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:20,200 Speaker 1: on in their bodies, or they've got magnetic powers, or 471 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:24,240 Speaker 1: they're living too close to high, high tension wires, et cetera. 472 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 1: So we did a whole episode sort of looking at 473 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:29,560 Speaker 1: that from a skeptic that kind of stirred stirred the 474 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:32,840 Speaker 1: beehive a little bit. We did. Yeah, yeah, And so 475 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:35,679 Speaker 1: I'm gonna read just a couple of the replies we 476 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:39,399 Speaker 1: received here um with the various ideas about it. This 477 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 1: one comes to us from Jen. Jen writes, this is 478 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:44,399 Speaker 1: high Robert and Julie I recently listened to your podcast 479 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:46,640 Speaker 1: on debunking the myth about individuals who claimed they can't 480 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:48,960 Speaker 1: wear watches. I am relieved to say that I was 481 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:51,720 Speaker 1: someone who thought I killed my watches, and with good cause. 482 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:54,080 Speaker 1: About three years ago. I went through five batteries in 483 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:56,840 Speaker 1: about three months and just one watch. I then went 484 00:25:57,080 --> 00:26:00,199 Speaker 1: on to wear other watches my backups. I suppose that 485 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:02,040 Speaker 1: all went dead within a short amount of time. I 486 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,400 Speaker 1: finally gave up around the same time. I was at 487 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:06,760 Speaker 1: the doctor's office in an exam room when the clock 488 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:10,439 Speaker 1: on the wall uh spontaneously went crazy, spinning forward in 489 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,520 Speaker 1: time three hours in just ten minutes. And you know 490 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:15,640 Speaker 1: that's because you when you're a doctor's room. The clock 491 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:19,000 Speaker 1: never met The staff had to take it down and 492 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:20,960 Speaker 1: take out the batteries, and then made a comment about 493 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,639 Speaker 1: my breaking the clock. Sadly, none of this translated into 494 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:26,159 Speaker 1: time stopping superpowers from me, no matter how am I 495 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:28,920 Speaker 1: not much I tried. After listening to your podcast, I 496 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:30,919 Speaker 1: decided to get another battery for my dead watch. I'm 497 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 1: happy to say that after twenty four hours, it is 498 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,359 Speaker 1: still ticking. Thank for the podcast and keep up the 499 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:38,880 Speaker 1: good work. And who is up from that was from Gin. 500 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:40,960 Speaker 1: All right, John, let us know if it's still working. 501 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:44,480 Speaker 1: I would be curious. Yeah, because, as I mentioned to 502 00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:48,359 Speaker 1: uh one of our listens on Facebook, it was a 503 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:52,639 Speaker 1: little irritated with the with the skeptics approach, and um, 504 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:54,560 Speaker 1: you know, like I told her, I would love to 505 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:57,080 Speaker 1: live in in a world where humans had these powers. 506 00:26:57,119 --> 00:27:00,439 Speaker 1: So if there's evidence that it the it that it, 507 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 1: that it happens, I would love to hear about it. 508 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,280 Speaker 1: Well in her case too, wasn't it just a bunch 509 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:09,399 Speaker 1: of different electronics that? Um? Yeah, And I'm affected by her, yes, 510 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:11,880 Speaker 1: And uh, it's not just think she wanted to send 511 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,080 Speaker 1: us some sort of paper she found, which I would 512 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,520 Speaker 1: I would, So I'm holding off on non reading any 513 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 1: of her comments until such time as she supplies that. 514 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:24,160 Speaker 1: But we have a few other ones here heard from Eric, 515 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:25,639 Speaker 1: and Eric writes and it says the first thing I 516 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 1: wondered when you were talking about watch stoppers was can 517 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:30,840 Speaker 1: they wear the old fashioned mechanical wind up type of watch? 518 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,400 Speaker 1: These watches are powered by spring. You have to wind 519 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:36,399 Speaker 1: up every day, no battery, no electricity. You did mention 520 00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:39,240 Speaker 1: the shielded watches. I bet that would work, not because 521 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:41,600 Speaker 1: the watches shielded, but because it's a higher quality, I 522 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:43,679 Speaker 1: never stopped to watch. But I did have a very 523 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,040 Speaker 1: cheap watch that caused my entire arm to swell up 524 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 1: and turn red. It was very painful, but the watch 525 00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:51,359 Speaker 1: was still working when I threw it away. Well, at 526 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,760 Speaker 1: least you threw the watch away and not the arm, 527 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:58,119 Speaker 1: all right, And we also have a few Facebook comments 528 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:01,560 Speaker 1: about the issue. Summer Rights sentence says, good morning, I 529 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:04,760 Speaker 1: just finished listening to your podcast watch Stoppers, and I 530 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:07,000 Speaker 1: immediately thought of my mother. She has always been one 531 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,120 Speaker 1: of those people who couldn't wear watches, but she has 532 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:12,080 Speaker 1: also had issues regarding all electronics. She worked for a 533 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:15,439 Speaker 1: company that manufactured circuit boards, and all employees needed to 534 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:17,639 Speaker 1: wear a grounding band so they wouldn't short circuit the 535 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:20,080 Speaker 1: boards while working on them. When my mother first started 536 00:28:20,119 --> 00:28:22,119 Speaker 1: working there, the QC department noticed a lot of her 537 00:28:22,119 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: boards were coming back dead, so they ended up testing 538 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:27,919 Speaker 1: her with a machine at the register's static electricity. As 539 00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:30,440 Speaker 1: a result, they discovered that even with the band on, 540 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:33,520 Speaker 1: the area around her was still off the scale, and 541 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:35,159 Speaker 1: the only way that they were able to combat it 542 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:38,400 Speaker 1: was to have her wear three bands at any given time. Also, 543 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:40,200 Speaker 1: when we signed up for our cell phone plan, I 544 00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:42,840 Speaker 1: got my mother the same phone iPhone as the rest 545 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 1: of our family, and this day she can never keep 546 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:47,720 Speaker 1: a charge on them. I say that them because we've 547 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:49,800 Speaker 1: swapped it out at least two times for more than 548 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:53,000 Speaker 1: three to four hours. So while I'm sure some things 549 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:56,080 Speaker 1: are situational, like my mother's television screen outputting in green 550 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:58,640 Speaker 1: bad tube, I couldn't help but think there might be 551 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:01,440 Speaker 1: some credence who reclaimed that electronics and her don't have 552 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:06,320 Speaker 1: the healthiest relationship. He had the great work. Sincerely, Summer. Well, 553 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:08,600 Speaker 1: you know, I can't help but think about Michael Persinger, 554 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:10,880 Speaker 1: who I think i'd bring up probably like once every 555 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:14,040 Speaker 1: two months. But he is the guy who worked with 556 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:19,480 Speaker 1: transcarannial magnets and was able to actually manipulate parts of 557 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 1: the brain that had to do with seeing visions through 558 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:25,320 Speaker 1: these magnets. And he found that some people were more 559 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:27,280 Speaker 1: susceptible to the magnets than other people that had a 560 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: high nobility or a lovability and um, so there's sort 561 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:34,320 Speaker 1: of a question mark to me about what that means 562 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:38,200 Speaker 1: in terms of electromagnetic activity. I still stand by, you know, 563 00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 1: a watch as a watch and we tend to bang 564 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:44,200 Speaker 1: it around, but that that particular experiment is very interesting 565 00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:47,720 Speaker 1: to me. The transcarannial magnets cool. All right. We also 566 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:49,960 Speaker 1: heard from Kelly. Kelly writes in this says, Hello, guys, 567 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:51,920 Speaker 1: I love the show and the blog. I wanted to 568 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 1: write in a tangential response to the past two podcasts 569 00:29:56,320 --> 00:29:59,560 Speaker 1: on what Human Watch Stoppers and lightning rods. My problem 570 00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:02,360 Speaker 1: is to touch screens don't work for me. iPhones, iPods, 571 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:04,560 Speaker 1: e readers, and many other devices that are becoming so 572 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:06,760 Speaker 1: common in everyday life are close to me due to 573 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 1: this handicap, including the self checkout at my local library 574 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:11,840 Speaker 1: and many a t m s. While trying to figure 575 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 1: this out, my very clever daughter pointed out that is 576 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:18,280 Speaker 1: a healthcare worker in an inner city hospital and minor germophobe. 577 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:20,520 Speaker 1: I wash my hands dozens of times per day and 578 00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:24,240 Speaker 1: also use alcohol based sanitizers nearly as often throwing a 579 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,880 Speaker 1: couple of surgical scrubs with ionized soaps, and my hands 580 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:30,479 Speaker 1: are chronically dry and cracked, despite the best lotions by 581 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 1: pharmacists can recommend. All this washing has effectively removed the 582 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: moisture and sweat from my skin. Thus I cannot transmit 583 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:40,360 Speaker 1: a charge to from a device. I find some help 584 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:43,440 Speaker 1: if I use the stylist, because the the metal of 585 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,000 Speaker 1: the body of the style is touches more of my 586 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:49,160 Speaker 1: hand palm and increases the chance of making a connection. 587 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:51,680 Speaker 1: In times of desperation, I have resorted to licking my 588 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 1: fingers to get it to work. This is a real problem. 589 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:55,800 Speaker 1: More and more of the machines I interact with as 590 00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 1: part of my work are using touch screen technology. While 591 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:02,080 Speaker 1: some of them might use different types of screens resistive, surface, 592 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:05,400 Speaker 1: acoustic wave, they're enough ones like this that I'm getting very, 593 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: very frustrated. I thought you might like the story. Perhaps 594 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:10,479 Speaker 1: some of your listeners had a similar problem or nova solution. 595 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 1: So far, my best response is to hand the phone 596 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:15,480 Speaker 1: to my teenager, who rolls her eyes at how mom 597 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:19,440 Speaker 1: can't use technology. Well, there's the hot dog method. I 598 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:21,560 Speaker 1: think we brought up the idea of using a hot 599 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:25,160 Speaker 1: dog as a stylus. Yeah, that's pretty um a pretty 600 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:27,080 Speaker 1: good way to go, and imagined a began would work 601 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:31,360 Speaker 1: as well. There's less Greece. Yeah, but that's interesting, interesting 602 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:34,240 Speaker 1: firsthand account of some of the problems that can occur 603 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:37,360 Speaker 1: when we're trying to interact with this uh ubiquitous technology. 604 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:39,959 Speaker 1: And then finally we heard from Sean, who writes Sinences 605 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:41,880 Speaker 1: High Guys. I was just listening to the Human Lightning 606 00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:44,520 Speaker 1: Rod episode. I can say from experience that a car 607 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:46,440 Speaker 1: is a safe place in a storm, because I was 608 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:49,200 Speaker 1: inside one that was struck by lightning. I'm an archaeologist 609 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 1: in upstate New York, and I was driving back in 610 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,280 Speaker 1: the rain from the day of excavating on the New 611 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:56,760 Speaker 1: York State Throwaway. We were at a toll plaza and 612 00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:58,840 Speaker 1: when bang, there was a flash of light in the 613 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:01,320 Speaker 1: car stalled. I dream some words you can't say on 614 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 1: the podcast. We managed to restart the car and went 615 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:06,880 Speaker 1: back to the University at Albany. In the parking lot, 616 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,240 Speaker 1: we saw that the bolt had hit the top rear 617 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:12,560 Speaker 1: brake light and exited through the rear right tire, which 618 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: was now flat. Nobody was hurt, just really shaking up. 619 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 1: What was really weird was that the rest of my crew, 620 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:19,720 Speaker 1: only a few cars behind us, didn't see anything happen 621 00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:22,400 Speaker 1: at all. I love the show, Sean. Have you ever 622 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:24,440 Speaker 1: been in the car when lightning struck nearby? Not to 623 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:28,000 Speaker 1: my knowledge, very disconcerting. Yeah, yeah, and thank goodness, there's 624 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:34,040 Speaker 1: the Faraday effect in play right, keeping you safe inside cool. Well. 625 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 1: You know, if anyone else has any comments or personal 626 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 1: accounts related to lightning strikes and watches that mysteriously stopped 627 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 1: working or other electronic devices that we have trouble interacting 628 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:48,240 Speaker 1: with in a chronic fashion, but we would love to 629 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:49,600 Speaker 1: hear about it, and we would love to hear about 630 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:53,680 Speaker 1: your thoughts on this episode about naked space walks, about 631 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:56,840 Speaker 1: taking your helmet off, and outer space. Um, about the science, 632 00:32:56,880 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: about the science fiction. I know there's some great examples 633 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,760 Speaker 1: from science fic and that I didn't mention or am 634 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:03,720 Speaker 1: not aware of, and I know you guys and gals 635 00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:05,160 Speaker 1: will fill me in on that, and I'd love to 636 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:07,720 Speaker 1: hear about them. So uh. In the meantime, if you 637 00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:09,480 Speaker 1: would like to reach out to us, you can find 638 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:11,560 Speaker 1: us on Facebook. You can find us on tumbled We're 639 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:13,240 Speaker 1: stuffed to bowl your Mind on both of those. You 640 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: can find us on Twitter where we are blow the Mind. 641 00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:17,200 Speaker 1: You can find us on YouTube where we're doing all 642 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:19,960 Speaker 1: these videos now, and you can find that by going 643 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,640 Speaker 1: to mind Stuff Show or Stuff to Blow your Mind. 644 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:25,120 Speaker 1: Both of those accounts go to the same place on YouTube. 645 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:27,960 Speaker 1: And hey, we have a website where all of this 646 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: stuff is wrapped up into one place. If there's something 647 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:32,400 Speaker 1: you're looking for related to stuff the Bowl of your Mind, 648 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:34,280 Speaker 1: this is the mother ship and you can find it 649 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:37,600 Speaker 1: at stuff to Bow your Mind dot com. And speaking 650 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:41,600 Speaker 1: of YouTube, check out our sister podcast, Christine Conger of 651 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:44,520 Speaker 1: stuff Mom Never Told You on YouTube. She has got 652 00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:48,080 Speaker 1: some really great stuff. They're very funny. It's YouTube dot 653 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:51,840 Speaker 1: com board slash stuff Mom Never Told You, And don't 654 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:54,800 Speaker 1: forget to drop us a line at blew the Mind 655 00:33:54,800 --> 00:34:01,680 Speaker 1: at discovery dot com. For more on this and thousands 656 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:09,560 Speaker 1: of other topics, visit how Stuff Works dot com