| rdfs:comment
| - Explosive Decompression is a horrendous failure of a ship's structural integrity, whereby the outer hull is breached, and all of the compartment's atmosphere rushes out into the vacuum of space. In modern 24th Century starships, a hull breach is usually automatically sealed-off by a containment force-field to hold the atmosphere in. Additionally, all airtight doors, ventilation shafts, and other orifices are closed off, to protect the rest of the ship or station. If a human body is exposed to vacuum without protection, in less than a minute the internal pressure will cause the individual to explode (so forget about holding your breath!)
- Outer space is not friendly. Woe betide anyone foolish enough to step into it unprotected (or unfortunate enough to get Thrown Out the Airlock): they'll pop like a turkey with a grenade stuffed inside. A classic piece of Hollywood Science; in fact this is so widespread that audiences are outraged when it doesn't happen (see The Coconut Effect and Reality Is Unrealistic). Discussed in detail here. See Space Is Cold for another way that space doesn't instantly kill you. See also Continuous Decompression for how Hollywood Science handles actual Explosive Decompression.
- Opening, disabling, or the failure of the containment fields around airlocks and external hatches, such as those found in shuttlebays and cargo bays, or a major hull breach while in any environment of substantially lower pressure, will result in an explosive decompression. Decompressing the main shuttlebay aboard a Galaxy-class starship would cause a reaction sufficient enough to move the ship. (TNG: "Contagion" , "Disaster" , "Cause and Effect" ) In 2368, the USS Enterprise-D decompressed its main shuttlebay in order to avoid a collision with the USS Bozeman. (TNG: "Cause and Effect" )
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| abstract
| - Outer space is not friendly. Woe betide anyone foolish enough to step into it unprotected (or unfortunate enough to get Thrown Out the Airlock): they'll pop like a turkey with a grenade stuffed inside. Well, that's the movie version. In fact, as unfriendly as the vacuum of space is, the body's made of stern enough stuff to stay in one piece. When you step outside, you've got about 15 seconds before you pass out from anoxia, a couple of minutes at best until you die from the same, and all sorts of nasty decompression injuries in between. (Exposed areas swelling up, body fluids boiling off your surfaces) But, you never quite go boom: remember, technically speaking, your blood is not in a vacuum: it's in you, so swelling and boiling blood only occurs toward your squishiest, outermost layer of capillaries. Incidentally, holding your breath would be worse than useless; the difference in pressure would cause a serious and fatal embolism even from the smallest amount of air in the lungs, they can overinflate and rupture, killing you even after you may be rescued. A classic piece of Hollywood Science; in fact this is so widespread that audiences are outraged when it doesn't happen (see The Coconut Effect and Reality Is Unrealistic). Discussed in detail here. This one can happen in real life if you get a really high pressure gradient - from above-normal pressure down to atmospheric pressure, say, or to be more precise, about 8 or 9 atm (atmospheres) to 1 atm (normal atmospheric pressure). If you're interested, Google the "Byford Dolphin" - but beware of Nausea Fuel. The term "Explosive Decompression" is legitimate, but it refers to the speed at which the decompression occurs, not the result or cause. There have been numerous cases of explosive decompression on aircraft (several of which led to crashes), but while it certainly can cause part of the airplane to explode (due to whatever fault caused the decompression in the first place), the usual result for passengers is either slow hypoxia, or if they are really unlucky a chance to go skydiving without a parachute. See Space Is Cold for another way that space doesn't instantly kill you. See also Continuous Decompression for how Hollywood Science handles actual Explosive Decompression. Examples of Explosive Decompression include:
- Explosive Decompression is a horrendous failure of a ship's structural integrity, whereby the outer hull is breached, and all of the compartment's atmosphere rushes out into the vacuum of space. In modern 24th Century starships, a hull breach is usually automatically sealed-off by a containment force-field to hold the atmosphere in. Additionally, all airtight doors, ventilation shafts, and other orifices are closed off, to protect the rest of the ship or station. If a human body is exposed to vacuum without protection, in less than a minute the internal pressure will cause the individual to explode (so forget about holding your breath!)
- Opening, disabling, or the failure of the containment fields around airlocks and external hatches, such as those found in shuttlebays and cargo bays, or a major hull breach while in any environment of substantially lower pressure, will result in an explosive decompression. Decompressing the main shuttlebay aboard a Galaxy-class starship would cause a reaction sufficient enough to move the ship. (TNG: "Contagion" , "Disaster" , "Cause and Effect" ) In 2154, Enterprise NX-01 lost several crew members, including Jane Taylor, to an explosive decompression during the Battle of Azati Prime. (ENT: "Azati Prime") In 2233 of the alternate reality, at least one USS Kelvin officer was blown into space through a hull breach during a battle with the Narada. (Star Trek) In 2259, Montgomery Scott opened an airlock aboard the USS Vengeance to allow access for James T. Kirk and Khan Noonien Singh. A Section 31 security officer was blown into space as a result. (Star Trek Into Darkness) In 2364, the bridge crew of the SS Tsiolkovsky, suffering from polywater intoxication, opened an emergency hatch and was blown out into space. (TNG: "The Naked Now" ) In 2367, the USS Enterprise-D attempted to remove Junior from its dorsal section by depressurizing Shuttlebay 2. The explosive decompression failed to dislodge the alien baby though. (TNG: "Galaxy's Child" ) In 2368, the USS Enterprise-D decompressed its main shuttlebay in order to avoid a collision with the USS Bozeman. (TNG: "Cause and Effect" ) One of Dukat's duties, when he was a Glinn serving aboard the Cardassian starship Kornaire, was to clean out a compartment where three men had been killed by explosive decompression. In 2374, told Benjamin Sisko that "I didn't sleep for a week after that". (DS9: "Waltz") In 2372, USS Voyager experienced an explosive decompression on deck 15 which killed Ensign Harry Kim. (VOY: "Deadlock") While in command of Voyager in 2374, Chakotay ordered an explosive decompression to kill the Borg in Cargo Bay 2. One drone, Seven of Nine, survived. (VOY: "Scorpion, Part II") During the Battle of the Bassen Rift in 2379, the Reman warbird Scimitar launched a volley of photon torpedoes at the USS Enterprise-E's bridge, resulting in an explosive decompression which killed Lieutenant Branson. (Star Trek Nemesis)
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