Shuttle hatch
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
The shuttle hatch was designed to be very easy to open outward, reflecting the lessons of the Apollo fire. On an early mission a non-astronaut payload specialist showed what the flight commander thought was a very unhealthy interest in how the opening mechanism worked. Opening the door in space would result in immediate loss of cabin atmosphere and death to the crew. After this NASA padlocked the hatch handle and the commanders held the key during the entire mission.