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jenniepepsi · Jul 21, 2009, 09:21 AM

This might belong here or on another board, so move it if needed :)

I was watching a movie called Titan AE. And they had to go out of the ship into space without space suits and with a fire extinguisher to propell them.
I'm not sure if this is even POSSIBLE lol.

However, the older man told the younger man to EXHALE.

Does anyone know why they would need to exhale and hold their breath rather than inhale and hold their breath? I mean if this COULD happen.

albear · Jul 21, 2009, 09:30 AM

Jennie, that was a cartoon :)

Not sure about the fire extinguisher

But I think it won't matter if they hold their breath after in or exhaling if they go out without space suits :)

jenniepepsi · Jul 21, 2009, 09:38 AM

I thought the same thing bear :P but I was just wondering if there was a scientific reason for the writers to put in that they exhaled :P

ebaines · Jul 21, 2009, 10:51 AM

First - the fire extinguisher trick should definitely work.

As to exhaling - I guess this is similar to the advice given to deep sea divers as they rise toward the surface. As they come up the water pressue around them decreases, which means if they don't exhale then the outward pressure of the air in their lungs could cause damage to their lungs. So given the difference of pressure between 1 atmosphere and the vacuum of space being equivalent to 32 feet of water, it would seem prudent to exhale. But to Alber's point - it really wouldn't matter if their exposure to the vacuum of space was more than a few seconds long!