From: jeff.findley@ugs.nojunk.com   
      
   "A.W.R."  wrote in message   
   news:1122777613.874524.120200@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...   
   > If one wanted to have a wall between vacuum and .15 Oxygen atm (or 1   
   > atm air if you wish), what material will after a micro-meteor passes   
   > through patch itself??? This is rather than the thick wall or shield   
   > defense against micro-meteors.   
   >   
   > 1.  With "1 thin metal wall", you get some stretching of metal then   
   > puncture with no sealing.  Or is this wrong?   
      
   It's wrong.  At the speeds a micrometeorite would hit your wall, you don't   
   get "stretching then puncture", you get an effect that's more like an   
   explosion.   
      
   >   
   > 2.  With "super-stretchable film" might one get long tube of stretched   
   > film then puncture, so somehow the tube seals itself either by being   
   > flatly pressed against remaining air by pressure or due to   
   > self-adhesion??  I know its hard to get stretching due to super-speed   
   > of meteor but possible at all??   
      
   I would think this woudn't be possible.   
      
   > 3.  With film that doesn't stretch but is "multi-layer" film or metal   
   > walls lying next to dozens of other layers, if one allowed layers to   
   > shift might not the layers post-strike shift to seal and avoid complete   
   > path to space???  Layers shouldn't stretch, which would block any   
   > shifting.  I know hard to imagine layers of material any of which could   
   > be pressure wall, but maybe imagine metal tubes inside each other slide   
   > on top of each other while heated so later contract and pressurize   
   > (this idea is getting complicated...)   
      
   This idea is similar to the multi-layered protection already used on   
   spacecraft, but they typically use very high strength fabrics separated by   
   some amount of space.  If you're layers are all togehter, the pieces made by   
   the object hitting the first layer don't have time to spread out.  You want   
   them to spread out so that the next layer takes the impact over a larger   
   area.  You then add as many layers as needed to get the protection desired.   
      
   If you read a bit about the subject, you'll find that your ideas aren't   
   original and you'll find out why some work and some don't.   
      
   Jeff   
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