Weird Research

There were a few interesting things that I learned this week while doing research for my novel. I thought I'd share  some of the more interesting ones.

#1 - A planes engines don't turn the plane. There are flaps on the wings that control pitch and flaps on the rudder that control direction. Also, the "steering wheel"  in a plane is called the yoke.

#2 - If a person falls from 30 ft. the rate of survival is 50%.

#3 - On the moon however, a person can easily survive a 30 ft. fall. (assuming there is no damage to their space suit) They would have to fall from over 100 ft. to reduce their rate of survival to 50%.

#4 - When people talk about suffocating in an enclosed space, the real danger is NOT a lack of oxygen but excess CO2. The average concentration of CO2 in the outside air is .039%. The average person loses consciousness between 3% and 10%, depending on length of exposure and lung health.

#5 - When a sugar molecule is metabolized by a person's body, it creates 3 molecules of CO2  (which is expelled by their lungs) , and 3 molecules of water. This is why people crave sugar when dehydrated.

I love all the random things I learn about while doing research. Some of them are intentional, some are unintentional, but I've loved trivia my entire life so I'm happy to take it all. Learning is fun.