I feel kind of like an idiot for reporting this one, but the beta tester in me won out over the dirty cheater. I was having trouble sealing the observatory (am I the only one?) so I started walling off sections and found a bit of help using carpenters garage doors to make the other sections still accessible while I worked. Apparently one of the sources of my leaks was actually the airlock itself. Two minutes later I noticed that a garage door will act as a solid wall for stopping leaks, even if it is left open?
Don't get me wrong, a handful of logs is far more preferable to all the materials needed for the airlocks, but it just seems kind of... wrong... I realize that this is something that may be out of your hands and needs to be resolved most likely on the carpenter's blocks end of things, but I just thought I would share this little tidbit for anyone looking for a cheap airlock.