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What happens when an astronaut in orbit says he's not coming back?

arstechnica.com

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Re: What happens when an astronaut in orbit says he's not coming back?

#3

Post by gnfargbl »

sebzim4500 wrote: post #2

I wonder how much time the duct tape would have actually bought if he tried to open it anyway.

Possibly long enough for the person opening it to think twice about the consequences of the action they were about to take?

Same concept as putting high barriers on bridges, or selling paracetamol (acetaminophen) in smaller packs. These changes do nothing to stop someone who is committed to the act, but they provide a small energy barrier which can be enough to defeat the perturbations of a temporarily irrational mind.

Re: What happens when an astronaut in orbit says he's not coming back?

#4

Post by sidewndr46 »

sebzim4500 wrote: post #2

I wonder how much time the duct tape would have actually bought if he tried to open it anyway.

I suspect the duct tape was there to act as an impediment and cause the person to make enough noise others would notice before anything could happen

Re: What happens when an astronaut in orbit says he's not coming back?

#7

Post by generalizations »

araes wrote: post #5

Do these people get affiliate money from that I.S.S movie? The topic seems suspiciously timed.

https://paulgraham.com/submarine.html

Doesn't have to be so unsubtle as affiliate money. All sorts of ways to peddle influence.

Re: What happens when an astronaut in orbit says he's not coming back?

#8

Post by spacebacon »

gnfargbl wrote: post #3
sebzim4500 wrote: post #2

I wonder how much time the duct tape would have actually bought if he tried to open it anyway.

Possibly long enough for the person opening it to think twice about the consequences of the action they were about to take? Same concept as putting high barriers on bridges, or selling paracetamol (acetaminophen) in smaller packs. These changes do nothing to stop someone who is committed to the act, but they provide a small energy barrier which can be enough to defeat the perturbations of a temporarily irrational min…

Wise observation

Re: What happens when an astronaut in orbit says he's not coming back?

#9

Post by fluidcruft »

sidewndr46 wrote: post #4
sebzim4500 wrote: post #2

I wonder how much time the duct tape would have actually bought if he tried to open it anyway.

I suspect the duct tape was there to act as an impediment and cause the person to make enough noise others would notice before anything could happen

My thought is it was a signal to alert everyone to keep an eye on anything strange happening there. That one commander seemed pretty nonplussed about it, but I bet he checked it out himself and he was aware something was off regarding the hatch.
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