Having described the internal spaces, the provisions for safety should be discussed. The access design to the components required seven pressurized bulkheads in the corridors upon exiting the elevator/ladder shafts with the intermediary spaces acting as airlocks. Three of the pressurized bulkheads can be seen in Fig. 5 as three solid vertical lines immediately above the elevator/ladder shafts. Should a leak occur in the corridor, the problem area will cause red lights to be activated that can be seen by the rest of the ship in support of the monitoring equipment. The remaining four bulkheads are located at the entrance hatches of the components; two access the components and two allow for emergency access to the components via extravehicular activity (EVA) or Shuttle orbiter docking. Within the shirt-sleeve environment of the components themselves, each room is capable of being sealed off and the design inherently ensures that there is an alternate means of egress in the event that such a measure become necessary either due to pressurization leaks or quarantine.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==