air lock
Decompression staging area
An air lock is a chamber with two airtight doors that allows passage between environments at different pressures—spacecraft, submarines, or hospital isolation units.
One door seals before the other opens, preventing air from rushing between spaces.
Air lock also names a bubble trapped in a pipe that blocks liquid flow: The pump won't work—there's an air lock in the line.
Opening in deck or floor
- bulkheadInternal vessel barrier
- decompressionReduction of pressure
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
- dockingConnecting to a port
module · spacewalk · extravehicular · life-support · seal · airtight · habitat · interlock
Authentication stamp or mark
- hatchOpening in deck or floor
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
- interlockJoin by overlapping
- pneumaticUsing pressurized gas
valve · gasket · equalization · cycling · door · latch · vestibule · airflow
Reduction of pressure
- scubaPortable underwater breathing gear
- bendsCurves or yields
- nitrogenElement seven, colorless gas
- depthDistance below surface
hyperbaric · rebreather · ascent · caisson · pressurization · chamber · nitrox
Isolation preventing disease transmission
- cleanroomParticle-free manufacturing space
- biohazardDangerous living organism risk
- decontaminationRemoving dangerous substances
- hermeticImpenetrably closed off
sterile · gowning · anteroom · HEPA · contamination · biosafety · vestibule · pass-through
Obstruction halting movement
- bubbleAir-filled film sphere
- bleedLose vital fluid
- cavitationPressure-induced void creation
- purgeEliminate unwanted elements
vent · pipe · radiator · pump · flow · obstruction · waterlogged · priming
hatch
Opening in deck or floor
- bulkheadInternal vessel barrier
- decompressionReduction of pressure
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
docking · module · spacewalk · extravehicular · life-support · seal · airtight · habitat · interlock · EVA
seal
Authentication stamp or mark
pneumatic · valve · gasket · equalization · cycling · door · latch · vestibule · airflow · ventilation
decompression
Reduction of pressure
depth · hyperbaric · rebreather · ascent · caisson · pressurization · chamber · nitrox
quarantine
Isolation preventing disease transmission
- cleanroomParticle-free manufacturing space
- biohazardDangerous living organism risk
- decontaminationRemoving dangerous substances
hermetic · sterile · gowning · anteroom · HEPA · contamination · biosafety · vestibule · pass-through · asepsis
blockage
Obstruction halting movement
- bubbleAir-filled film sphere
- bleedLose vital fluid
- cavitationPressure-induced void creation
purge · vent · pipe · radiator · pump · flow · obstruction · waterlogged · priming · sputtering
- plumbing problemsleak, leaks, clog, clogs, burst pipe
- submarinessub, subs, torpedo, submarines, hull
- Mars colonizationterraforming, habitat, dome, outpost, rover
- safety measureshandwashing, backup plan, fire prevention, fire drills, escape route
- bunkersbunkers, bomb shelter, fallout shelter, fallout shelters, underground bunker
- sterile environmentsclean room, operating room, surgery suite, laboratory, laminar flow hood
air lockbreach
Breaking of agreement
hull breach · explosive decompression · blowout · gaping hole · direct access