I did not expect to see that referenced today. It seems like pretty obscure old sci-fi to me, but I guess I found it once somehow.
I should do napkin calculations on how many blankets they'd actually need to get an airtight-ish space at breathable pressure.
Edit: Honestly just an airlock shouldn't have been too hard, seeing as leaking atmosphere was no issue. Seal it up, crack a little valve on the side you're going towards. Every blanket scheme I can think of is just a shittier version of that. Just as a sealant for structural gaps I imagine blankets would be impermeable with a bit of coal tar added, but maybe I can do some math for unimproved blankets.
The story actually specifies 30 blankets, on a double-check. There's science now known to be bad elsewhere, but it's all excusable considering when the story was written. Ditto for the weird gender dynamics.
I assume this guide is for engaging the F-117 in midair hand-to-hand combat after you've leapt aboard. But in that case, where are you supposed to get dirt? Bring it with you, like some kind of peasant?? Just use your sword like a normal ninja.
Everything checks out. Pretty standard stuff, really. Shovel to air defense has been around since at least the '80s, and that's just the ones the government wants you to know about.
