The Helmet
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zellerzone
Oct 26, 2010, 8:16:30 AM10/26/10
to Zeller's Coccoon
I spent three hours shut up in the helmet yesterday morning. It's just
an ordinary full-face motorcycle helmet with vents that can be closed.
I put foam plugs in my ears and pulled on a neoprene balaclava that
goes with a wet suit. Over that I put on the helmet, the visor still
open, and buckled the chinstrap as tightly as I could. I bundled
myself up warmly in a down vest and heavy jacket, closed the visor and
turned out the light. Then I sat quietly for a very long time.
The heavy clothing helps to close off the bottom of the helmet,
trapping air inside so that the CO2 concentration rises. The US Navy
conducted an experiment back in 1944. They sealed four men in a
chamber containing about 2000 cubic feet of air. They left them in
there for 72 hours. No fresh air was allowed into the chamber. When
the CO2 got up to 5%, they turned on the scrubber to keep it from
going any higher, but maintained a 5% concentration. At the end of 72
hours half of the oxygen in the chamber had been consumed. The air was
only 10 1/2% oxygen. Yet tests showed no impairment of mental function
in the men.
Humans can stand a lot more carbon dioxide than we've been told we can.
an ordinary full-face motorcycle helmet with vents that can be closed.
I put foam plugs in my ears and pulled on a neoprene balaclava that
goes with a wet suit. Over that I put on the helmet, the visor still
open, and buckled the chinstrap as tightly as I could. I bundled
myself up warmly in a down vest and heavy jacket, closed the visor and
turned out the light. Then I sat quietly for a very long time.
The heavy clothing helps to close off the bottom of the helmet,
trapping air inside so that the CO2 concentration rises. The US Navy
conducted an experiment back in 1944. They sealed four men in a
chamber containing about 2000 cubic feet of air. They left them in
there for 72 hours. No fresh air was allowed into the chamber. When
the CO2 got up to 5%, they turned on the scrubber to keep it from
going any higher, but maintained a 5% concentration. At the end of 72
hours half of the oxygen in the chamber had been consumed. The air was
only 10 1/2% oxygen. Yet tests showed no impairment of mental function
in the men.
Humans can stand a lot more carbon dioxide than we've been told we can.
zellerzone
Oct 29, 2010, 9:25:12 PM10/29/10
to Zeller's Coccoon
I've posted a picture to files of me wearing the helmet. The jacket
was a lucky find at an army-navy store. It was made in Sweden for a
motorcycle courier to wear. It has only one pocket, for stashing vital
papers. It buttons up on the inside and outside and is fully lined
(including the sleeves) with fake fur. Straps at the neck and hips
pull it nice and snug.
was a lucky find at an army-navy store. It was made in Sweden for a
motorcycle courier to wear. It has only one pocket, for stashing vital
papers. It buttons up on the inside and outside and is fully lined
(including the sleeves) with fake fur. Straps at the neck and hips
pull it nice and snug.
zellerzone
Oct 29, 2010, 9:41:46 PM10/29/10
to Zeller's Coccoon
You may notice the straps of the backpack I'm wearing. It weighs about
45 pounds. The extra weight means more exertion, and thus more CO2
produced. Under the jacket and the down vest I am wearing two coconut-
fiber doormats strapped tightly to my torso.
Going for a walk outside before sunrise is an intense experience. Not
only do I have the suffocating closeness of the helmet, but also the
prickly pressure of the mats, magnified by the weight of the backpack.
I'm so well insulated I get very warm. The visor fogs up and I can
just barely see where I'm going. It's probably the closest I'll ever
come to beinginside a bomb suit.
45 pounds. The extra weight means more exertion, and thus more CO2
produced. Under the jacket and the down vest I am wearing two coconut-
fiber doormats strapped tightly to my torso.
Going for a walk outside before sunrise is an intense experience. Not
only do I have the suffocating closeness of the helmet, but also the
prickly pressure of the mats, magnified by the weight of the backpack.
I'm so well insulated I get very warm. The visor fogs up and I can
just barely see where I'm going. It's probably the closest I'll ever
come to beinginside a bomb suit.
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