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Why on god's green Earth did Han, Leia, and Chewie decide that take a stroll in the vaccum wearing nothing buth their clothes, and a oxygen breath mask?

We know that they were inside a Space Slug and perhaps the space plug has some sort of sealing membrane to maintain a controlled atmosphere in which to digest food. However, Han obviously did not know they were inside a space slug.

Perhaps the asteroid had a atmosphere? This theory is supported by the fact that there was gravity where the Falcon landed suggesting that they landed on a significant piece of rock, that may have had its own atmosphere. Anyone care to throw out some guesses?

Perhaps they did an atmosphere test sometime in the several hours they were in there before venturing out?

That asteroid wasn't big enough to have an atmosphere or that kind of gravity.

Are SW life form sensors unable to register silicon based life forms or something?

Perhaps:

1) He had the sensors check if there was an atmosphere before he stepped out (understandable)
2) He DIDN'T have the sensors set to scan for life forms, since he was more interested in hiding.
3) In fact, he might have switched the sensors off to avoid detection and likely had some type of mini-sensor on the hull to test for atmosphere.

He might also have expanded the gravity generators on board the Falcon before he stepped out of the Falcon. The change in gravity in its stomach, coupled with a few blaster bolts, probably gave it quite a stomach ache.

It's also possible that they didn't think they'd need full protection, as they were only going to be out there for a few minutes. Since it's possible to survive for several minutes in a vacuum before passing out and dying of asphyxiation, wearing an oxygen mask would probably help you last that much longer.

They also could've known that Mynocks only live in conditions with limited atmosphere, so they knew they could survive for a little while outside.

Executor32 wrote:It's also possible that they didn't think they'd need full protection, as they were only going to be out there for a few minutes. Since it's possible to survive for several minutes in a vacuum before passing out and dying of asphyxiation, wearing an oxygen mask would probably help you last that much longer.

Wouldn't you insantly freeze to death? I didn't see anything preventing heat from escaping the belly of that worm.

And what about explosive decompression?

Master of Ossus wrote:They also could've known that Mynocks only live in conditions with limited atmosphere, so they knew they could survive for a little while outside.

Except that mynocks can survive in vacuum.

Praxis wrote: Wouldn't you insantly freeze to death? I didn't see anything preventing heat from escaping the belly of that worm.

Alright. Where exactly do you think that the heat's going to go? Think carefully about this.

And what about explosive decompression?

Again, this is assuming that they had nothing to determine there was an atmosphere outside the ship. Moreover, the Falcon probably has some method of restoring the atmosphere.

Master of Ossus wrote:

Praxis wrote: Wouldn't you insantly freeze to death? I didn't see anything preventing heat from escaping the belly of that worm.

Alright. Where exactly do you think that the heat's going to go? Think carefully about this.
.

Wouldn't it and any atmosphere be sucked into space right out the worm's mouth?

Not if the slug's mouth is closed.

Praxis wrote:

Executor32 wrote:It's also possible that they didn't think they'd need full protection, as they were only going to be out there for a few minutes. Since it's possible to survive for several minutes in a vacuum before passing out and dying of asphyxiation, wearing an oxygen mask would probably help you last that much longer.

Wouldn't you insantly freeze to death? I didn't see anything preventing heat from escaping the belly of that worm.

And what about explosive decompression?

Ahem.

Google is your friend.

I rest my case. Even if the 'cave' was a vacuum, they weren't there long enough to suffer any ill effects, especially with oxygen masks on.

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Not if the slug's mouth is closed.

They flew into the slug. The mouth was obviously open.

Rogue 9 wrote:

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Not if the slug's mouth is closed.

They flew into the slug. The mouth was obviously open.

And during that time between entry and egress, it could have closed. Use your brain.

There are active sensors and passive sensors in Star Wars. Using active sensors makes you a big target for other active (and passive, I believe) sensors. However, using passive sensors is just fine.

Obviously, Han wasn't using active sensors. We can probably safely assume that active sensors detect life forms. This explains why the life forms - the Mynocks and the slug - weren't detected.

I also think it's safe to conclude that passive sensors can detect if the ship is in an atmosphere. Apparently, there was enough atmosphere in the slug's belly. Alternatively, we can assume that Han had the Falcon extend its shields away from the ship and flooded it with thin air. This would explain why they tried to stay close under the ship.

Or maybe Lucas just didn't want to build space suits. Lazy ass.

A pressure gauge is about as passive as gauges come. Unless the Empire can detect the movement of a mercury column now.

SPOOFE wrote:Or maybe Lucas just didn't want to build space suits. Lazy ass.

The (translated) novelisation says they were dressed in full space suits.

vakundok wrote:

SPOOFE wrote:Or maybe Lucas just didn't want to build space suits. Lazy ass.

The (translated) novelisation says they were dressed in full space suits.

Well in the film they obviously weren't, were they?

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:

vakundok wrote:

SPOOFE wrote:Or maybe Lucas just didn't want to build space suits. Lazy ass.

The (translated) novelisation says they were dressed in full space suits.

Well in the film they obviously weren't, were they?

I simply agreeded with that line from SPOOFE.
All I wanted to add was that at some point someone did some thinking about it but it did not make its way to the film. So because GL found it unimportant the EU has had to find an other, more technobable- like solution. (Like the 12 parsec thingy.)
When Karrde/Mara found Luke in the Thrawn triology, they extended some kind of air container field, so air (and heating with it) is definitely within SWU capability. The only question is gravity.

Executor32 wrote:

Praxis wrote:

Executor32 wrote:It's also possible that they didn't think they'd need full protection, as they were only going to be out there for a few minutes. Since it's possible to survive for several minutes in a vacuum before passing out and dying of asphyxiation, wearing an oxygen mask would probably help you last that much longer.

Wouldn't you insantly freeze to death? I didn't see anything preventing heat from escaping the belly of that worm.

And what about explosive decompression?

Ahem.

Google is your friend.

I rest my case. Even if the 'cave' was a vacuum, they weren't there long enough to suffer any ill effects, especially with oxygen masks on.

Ah. They ARE right about the holding breath thing (having a scuba license myself), although it applies in diving because of the pressure beneath the water while in space its the lack of pressure, so I hadn't thought of it that way before.

However, wouldn't there still be a complete lack of heat in space? So wouldn't they still freeze when they stepped out?

Praxis wrote:However, wouldn't there still be a complete lack of heat in space? So wouldn't they still freeze when they stepped out?

I might be way off with my understanding here, but you won't actually freeze to death that quickly in space. The reason is that while space is "cold," heat transfer in space (other than radiative) is very difficult, since there's no medium through which to transfer that heat. It's cold outside because of the wind and the relative energy of the particles. It's hot outside for the same reason. In space, though, there aren't very many particles for you to feel "cold" from.

I emphasize that this isn't based on hard evidence, just stuff I've been thinking about on the topic.

My money is on forcefield expansion. The mouth obviously was NOT cosed, because they were trying to escape BEFORE it closed its mouth (ok, so its specious logic). It could be that the creature's natural processes sustained an atmosphere such that breath masks were all that was needed.

McC wrote: I emphasize that this isn't based on hard evidence,

Yes it is.

In a vacuum, you only have radiative heat transfer. Much less efficient. Remember the old Thermos slogans?

"The insulating power of a vacuum"

Now that said, you are going to be raidiating a lot from the relative difference. But while you can't stay out for very long, and things like your eyes would develop ice coatings, you won't turn into Frosty.

Oh, cool My line, though, wasn't meant to reflect that no hard evidence existed, but rather that I was speaking from just what I'd inferred, not anything I'd read that was substantial. Glad to know I'm not totally gone

Face it, this is one of those really stupid scenes that only serves to illustrate the scientific ignorance of the script writers. If nothing else, trying to breath atmospheric-pressure air from a mask while in a vacuum would almost certainly kill you.