A1_4 Defenestration

Abstract

This article investigates the frequent trope of space based fiction of getting rid of an enemy by ejecting them out the airlock or of a person being dragged out to space due to damage to the spacecraft’s hull. We find that the force exerted on the person isn't very large for a hole the size of a door, but it may be sufficient to eject the person if the hole was around 2m x 4m, and if the air is resupplied to the room at the rate that it is emitted.