[Relation between the probability of development of altitude-decompression disorders and the duration of pre-exposure to a hypobaric atmosphere].

Healthy volunteers, aged 21-47 years, were kept in an altitude chamber. Before decompression to a residual pressure of 293.3 GPa the test subjects were consecutively exposed to 1120 GPa for 2 hrs and then to 733.3 GPa for 24, 18 or 12 hrs. At 293.3 GPa the test subjects performed a moderate workload for 6 hrs. It has been concluded that prior to the use of a space suit with the working pressure 0.3 kgf/cm2 (293.3 GPa) the time of exposure to a hypobaric normoxic (29-30% O2) atmosphere with the total barometric pressure 733.3 GPa should not be less than 18 hrs and it should preferably be 24 hrs. In this situation decompression safety of 6-hr extravehicular activity can be predicted with a high probability.