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February 23, 2007
What Do You Do With a Crazy Astronaut?
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — What would happen if an astronaut came unglued in space and, say, destroyed the ship's oxygen system or tried to open the hatch and kill everyone aboard?First step, though, is if you see your crewmates wearing diapers, run away as fast as you can.That was the question on some minds after the apparent breakdown of Lisa Nowak, arrested in Orlando this month on charges she tried to kidnap and kill a woman she regarded as her rival for another astronaut's affections.
It turns out NASA has a detailed set of written procedures for dealing with a suicidal or psychotic astronaut in space. The documents, obtained this week by The Associated Press, say the astronaut's crewmates should bind his wrists and ankles with duct tape, tie him down with a bungee cord and inject him with tranquilizers if necessary.
Posted by slublog at February 23, 2007 06:37 PM
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Comments
Yeah, that's fine if you are in orbit around the Earth. But what happens if you are halfway to Mars when someone flips out? That's a long way away: if you picture the Earth as a 15" globe, the ISS and shuttle orbit about 1/4" off the surface. On that scale, the Moon is about 38 feet away and Mars never gets closer than 1.38 miles.
Posted by: MainiacJoe at February 24, 2007 05:12 PM
That's a good way to get a sense of the perspective. Hey, if someone gives me problems halfway to Mars, they're going out an airlock...
Posted by: Slublog at February 24, 2007 07:18 PM
Unless they're the only guy who knows how to pilot the ship back to Earth ...
Posted by: MainiacJoe at February 26, 2007 09:29 AM