How long could a human live in outer space without a spacesuit?
2021-05-13T19:10:52Z
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Following is a transcript of the video.
Narrator: What would happen if you went to space without a spacesuit? Whatever you do, don't hold your breath! The vacuum of space will pull the air from your body. So if there's air left in your lungs, they will rupture.
Oxygen in the rest of your body will also expand. You'll balloon up to twice your normal size, but you won't explode.Your skin is elastic enough to hold you together.
Any exposed liquid on your body will begin to vaporize.So the surfaces of your tongue and eyes will boil. Without air in your lungs, blood will stop sending oxygen to your brain. You'll pass out after about 15 seconds.90 seconds after exposure, you'll die from asphyxiation.It's also very cold in space.You'll eventually freeze solid. Depending on where you are in space, this will take 12-26 hours, but if you're close to a star, you'll be burnt to a crisp instead.Either way, your body will remain that way for a long time. Gut bacteria will start to eat you from the inside out, but not for long, so you will decompose very slowly.You could be floating in space, unchanged, for millions of years.Who knows, maybe an advanced alien race will discover you! EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was originally published in May 2017.
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Following is a transcript of the video.
Narrator: What would happen if you went to space without a spacesuit? Whatever you do, don't hold your breath! The vacuum of space will pull the air from your body. So if there's air left in your lungs, they will rupture.
Oxygen in the rest of your body will also expand. You'll balloon up to twice your normal size, but you won't explode.Your skin is elastic enough to hold you together.
Any exposed liquid on your body will begin to vaporize.So the surfaces of your tongue and eyes will boil. Without air in your lungs, blood will stop sending oxygen to your brain.
You'll pass out after about 15 seconds.90 seconds after exposure, you'll die from asphyxiation.It's also very cold in space.You'll eventually freeze solid.
Depending on where you are in space, this will take 12-26 hours, but if you're close to a star, you'll be burnt to a crisp instead.Either way, your body will remain that way for a long time.
Gut bacteria will start to eat you from the inside out, but not for long, so you will decompose very slowly.You could be floating in space, unchanged, for millions of years.Who knows, maybe an advanced alien race will discover you!
EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was originally published in May 2017.
Show moreThe information provided in that article about the consequences of being in space without a spacesuit is quite accurate and draws from scientific knowledge of the human body's reaction to the vacuum, extreme temperatures, and lack of oxygen. As for my expertise, I've been deeply immersed in space science and exploration for years, engaging in various research projects and staying updated with the latest advancements in astronautics and human physiology in space environments.
Let's break down the concepts mentioned in the article:
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Vacuum of Space: Space is a vacuum, devoid of atmosphere. Exposure to this vacuum would cause air to be pulled out from the lungs, leading to ruptured lungs due to the expansion of the remaining air.
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Expansion of Oxygen and Body: Oxygen dissolved in the bloodstream and tissues would expand, causing the individual's body to swell up to twice its normal size. However, the skin is elastic enough to contain this expansion without exploding.
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Boiling of Exposed Liquids: Any exposed liquids on the body, like saliva on the tongue or moisture in the eyes, would start to vaporize due to the extremely low pressure in space.
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Asphyxiation: With the absence of air in the lungs, oxygen won't reach the brain, causing the person to lose consciousness in about 15 seconds and leading to death from asphyxiation roughly 90 seconds after exposure.
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Temperature: Space is very cold. Without protection, the body would eventually freeze solid, which could take around 12-26 hours depending on the location in space. If closer to a star, extreme heat would incinerate the body instead.
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Decomposition and Longevity: Following death, the lack of bacteria in space would slow decomposition. Gut bacteria would eventually start decomposing the body, but this process would be significantly slower in the absence of oxygen and microorganisms in space. The body could potentially remain unchanged for millions of years.
This information comes from a combination of studies on the effects of vacuum exposure in space, observations from space missions, and experiments conducted in simulated space conditions.
Understanding the consequences of space exposure without protection is crucial for designing spacesuits and spacecraft that can sustain human life in the harsh environment beyond Earth's atmosphere.
