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airlock
A chamber that allows astronauts to leave or enter a spacecraft without depressurizing the whole vehicle. The typical sequence of steps for going out of a spacecraft in orbit is (1) astronaut, wearing a spacesuit, enters the airlock through its inner door; (2) the airlock is depressurized by transferring its air to the spacecraft; (3) the inner door is closed, which seals the spacecraft's atmosphere; (4) the airlock's outer door is opened into space, and the astronaut exits. The reverse sequence applies when the astronaut returns.
Related category
• MANNED SPACEFLIGHT
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