Environmental Hazard (emergency procedures)

3.2 HABITAT ENVIRONMENTAL

3.2.1 Minor Fire

A minor fire is one that is contained to one module only, and is not spreading at a noticeable rate from module to module.

• Evacuate the afflicted module completely, sealing all bulkheads and doors.
• Shut off power to the affected module, in case the fire is an electrical one.
• Attempt to vent the affected module to deprive the fire of oxygen. Do this from the interlock, or mission control, if the interlock is rendered inaccessable.
• To test if the fire is still burning, partially repressurize the module, and observe if the O2 levels decrease, and CO2 levels increase. A chem reading is also a good indicator of a fire.
• If venting is unsucessful, assume that the fire has another means of oxidization besides the atmosphere (ruptured O2 lines, etc).
• If these remote procedures fail, then an IVA must be performed to extinguish the fire, and determine its cause. Exercise extreme caution during IVA; watch for any loose wires, sparks, or hissing sounds from ruptured pipes. If any potential fire sources are noted, attempt to repair. Use a fire extinguisher to extinguish any visible flames.
• After the fire has been extinguished, evacuate the module, and test again if the fire is still burning. If the fire appears to be out, re-pressurive the module, and wait 4 minutes to insure that the fire will not re-commence.

3.2.2 Major Fire

If the fire seems to spread quickly from module to module (it crosses a bulkhead module within 30 to 90 seconds), assume that the fire is too big or spreading too rapidly to effectively extinguish by yourselves. Immediately inform mission control of the situation and follow P4.21.

3.2.3 Minor Radiation

A radiation contamination is defined as minor if the high radiation levels are confined to one or two modules. This generally means that the source of radiation is internal, i.e. a radiation leak in one of the modules only.

• Immediately evacuate the module of all personel, sealing all the doors.
• Treat any exposed personel accordingly.
• Immediately shut down all power to the affected modules, in case the source of the radiation is an electronic device.
• If this does not lower the radiation levels, attempt to shut down the hab and AYSE drives by any means possible, as they may be the source of radiation.
• If no change is noticed after 4 minutes, conduct an IVA to investigate the affected module. Note any possible sources of radiation, and attempt to repair.
• If this fails, P4.21 may be advised if the problem persists.

3.2.4 Major Radiation

A major radiation contamination is defined as a contamination that affects more than 3 modules of the habitat. Usually, these are caused by celestial phenomena, such as ionized particle bombardment (ion storms), etc. The EECOM display should provide a warning when such a phenomenon is expected.

• When such a warning occurs, the three most essential personnel should proceed to the escape pod, but should not launch—if the source of radiation is a celestial phenomenon, launching into it in an escape pod offers no benefits.
• The other members should don EVA suits.
• If there is sufficient time before the radiation impacts the ship, the three suited astronauts must shut down all electronics (excepting black headsets) and disengage the circuit relays. This is to prevent any damage to electronics that the radiation may cause.
• The suited astronauts should then proceed to the bathroom and seal themselves in. Since the bathroom offers 2x protection against radiation compared to the rest of the habitat, and the EVA suits offer 1x protection compared to the rest of the habitat, the suited astronauts should be protected by 3x the protection of the habitat, and this should be sufficient.
• The essential personel in the escape pod receive 2x protection from the bathroom, and 1x protection from the escape pod's hull, and are thus equally protected as the suited astronauts.
• A good indicator of when the storm has passed is the operation of the headsets. When they start working again, that should indicate that the radiation levels have subsided.
• If this is the case, attempt to re-acquire contact with Mission Control.
• If this is unsucessful, the suited astronauts should conduct an IVA to the interlock, and re-boot EECOM and GUIDO. EECOM should display the radiation levels of the habitat.