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Space Suits Are Scuba Gear: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
Sci-fi space suits inevitably have exposed tubes leading from the air tank to the helmet, like [[Space Is an Ocean|twin-hose SCUBA gear]]. Since space suits are fully pressurized, not just the helmet, these [[Fridge Logic|serve no purpose]] but to be [[Are These Wires Important?|yanked out]] either to provide a moment of tension or an easy way to end a hand-to-hand fight, depending on if the luckless wearer is a hero or a villain. Even if reconnected, this may lead to an oxygen crisis.
Real space suits have no such dangerously exposed air hoses. Real SCUBA gear has a backup regulator should the first one go bad and the hoses are low pressure. Either sci-fi writers are making commentary on [[No OSHA Compliance|a dystopian future with no safety oversight]], they've [[Did Not Do the Research|only ever looked at SCUBA gear]] (before the 60s that would be everyone) and at other fictional spacesuits that exhibit this trope, or they just need a cheap excuse to add tension.
{{examples|Examples:}}▼
== [[Live Action TV]] ==▼
* In the ''[[Star Trek Enterprise]]'' episode "Damage," a cracked-out T'Pol, jonesing for some literal rock, falls into a depressurized cargo bay, leading to her air hose coming undone and a frantic struggle to put it back.▼
== [[Film]] ==
* In ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', the space suits had an attached air line. When HAL's pod attacks Frank Poole it rips out his air line, causing him to die of vacuum exposure/lack of air. Watch it [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbCsAlweJXk here, 0:50-1:00, as Frank frantically tries to re-attach the line].
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* In ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'', an infestation of mynocks required the crew of the ''Millennium Falcon'' to venture outside in whatever paltry atmosphere can be found on a large asteroid. They wear face-mounted masks with tubes leading back to oxygen tanks.
** Presumably Han issued Chewie and Leia [[Required Secondary Powers|a set of earplugs and corks]] before they stepped outside as well.
* Used in ''[[Armageddon]]'' so that {{spoiler|Bruce Willis can subvert his future son-in-law's [[Heroic Sacrifice]] by yanking his air line and taking his place.}}
* Happens in cheapy productions like ''[[Missile to The Moon]]'' where they just used air force jumpsuits, helmets and oxygen cylinders.
== [[Literature]] ==
* The cover of [[Robert Heinlein]]'s ''[[Have Space
** This trope is, however, ''extremely'' averted by other suit designs later in the same book. By comparison with {{spoiler|Vegan}} suits, a [[Latex Space Suit]] is ''bulky''.
* ''The Moonmaker'', sequel to ''[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/19174 The Man Who Rocked the Earth]
* The [[Clock Punk]] spacesuits in ''[[
▲* In the ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'' episode "Damage," a cracked-out T'Pol, jonesing for some literal rock, falls into a depressurized cargo bay, leading to her air hose coming undone and a frantic struggle to put it back.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* In the old Lucasfilm adventure game ''[[Zak McKracken and
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[Futurama]]'' has the classic air tank and hose.
* ''[[
== [[Real Life]] ==
* NASA's [https://web.archive.org/web/20131027201949/http://dx12.jsc.nasa.gov/site/index.shtml Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory] (NBL) at Johnson Space Center. Because space suits are conveniently airtight and pressurized, they actually do work underwater just as they do in space, and because of that, NASA actually trains astronauts by using a 40' deep pool within which the suits will feel weightless and movement will be similar to that in space (albiet with much much more drag).
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