"Robert J. Bradbury" wrote:
EvMick: Would sweat in a vacumn cool you?
Me: Yes, this is a strength of the skinsuit concept, particularly for Mars.
> True, but its questionable whether you can consider the Mars atmosphere
> a vacuum. Scientists talk about the "atmosphere" of Mercury and its
> pressure is much lower than Mars.
Surface pressure on Mars is generally under 10 mb, far less than the vapor pressure of water at body temperature. Sweat would *boil* on the skin... this is close enough to a vacuum for practical purposes :)
A bigger problem for skinsuit wearers on Mars would be the peroxides in the soil which turn to alkaline hydroxides when wetted. (I know from personal experience just how nasty alkali burns can be, my right eye has permanent corneal scarring.) Completely dust-tight overgarments would be difficult to achieve, and airlock procedures would have to include rather fastidious cleaning steps.
-- Doug Jones Rocket Plumber, XCOR Aerospace http://www.xcor-aerospace.com