Cryogen-Based Breathing Gas System

Storing breathing gas as a cryogenic liquid rather than a compressed gas has advantages in profile, weight, and safety. The disadvantage of the extremely cold temperature can be turned into an advantage by cooling the user while vaporizing and warming the cryogen. A cryogenic breathing apparatus capable of providing up to two hours of breathing and cooling and operating in any orientation will be available to commercial users in 1998. The same technology can be easily extended to use with liquid oxygen on the moon and Mars, and can be adapted to a zero gravity environment.