msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader) (08/13/85)
Jerry Hollombe quotes The Space Shuttle Operator's Manual: > "An atmosphere like the earth's is maintained in the crew compartment. > Atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psi ... the same as standard sea-level > conditions. The atmosphere consists of 79% nitorgen and 21% oxygen, again > very close to what you left on earth. So my question is why they use THIS atmosphere rather than plain air (78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon). I would imagine the oxygen supply is in a different reservoir so that pure oxygen can be used if necessary, but even so, the other reservoir could contain air-minus-oxygen rather than straight nitrogen, and I would think that that is cheaper to produce. Mark Brader