air locks
Sealed transfer compartments
An air lock is a chamber with two airtight doors, allowing passage between environments at different pressures—typically between a pressurized spacecraft or submarine and the vacuum or water outside.
One door seals before the other opens, preventing pressure loss.
Air lock also refers to a bubble trapped in a pipe that blocks liquid flow: The pump won't work because of an air lock in the line.
- hatchOpening in deck or floor
- compartmentsEnclosed subdivisions within something
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
- pressure differentialDifference in force per area
- doorHinged room barrier
seal · airtight seal · enclosures · pressurization · valve · lunar module · docking bay · vacuum · hull breach · egress · spacecraft · space station · astronauts · helmet · oxygen · life support · outer space · gasket
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