Most people can only judge this by frames from science fiction films, so they are subject to an implausible myth. What will actually happen to humans in outer space?
There are many theories about what will happen to a person entering outer space without a spacesuit. Most of them are based on inventions. Someone thinks that the body will freeze in a few moments, others say that it will be incinerated by cosmic radiation, there is even a theory about the boiling of liquid inside the human body. Consider the most popular myths about what will happen to a person without a spacesuit in outer space.
The body will immediately freeze
Scientists are ready to answer with precision that this will not happen. It is very cold in space, but its density is too low. In such a minimum density, the human body will not be able to transfer its heat to the environment, there is emptiness around it, and there is no one to take this heat. One of the main difficulties in the operation of the ISS is the removal of heat from the station, not at all protection from space cold.
Man will be incinerated by cosmic radiation
Promotional video:
Radiation in space reaches great values, it is very dangerous. Radioactive charged particles penetrate the human body, causing radiation sickness. But in order to die from this radiation, it is necessary to receive a very large dose, and this will take a lot of time. During this time, the living creature will have time to die under the influence of other factors. In order to get protection from cosmic burns, you do not need a spacesuit, ordinary clothes will cope with this task. If we assume that a person decided to go into open space completely naked, then the consequences of this exit for him will be very bad.
Blood in human vessels will boil from low pressure
Another of the theories, supposedly from low pressure, the blood in the body boils and ruptures its vessels. Indeed, there is very low pressure in space, it will help reduce the temperature at which liquids boil. However, the blood in the human body will be under its own pressure; for it to boil, its temperature must reach 46 degrees, which living organisms cannot have. If a person in open space opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue, then he will feel his saliva boiling, but he will not receive a burn, saliva will boil at a very low temperature.
The body will burst the pressure drop
The pressure in space is very dangerous, but it works in a different way. The pressure drop can double the volume of the internal organs of a person, his body will double in size. But a spectacular explosion with scattering of the insides in all directions will not happen, the human skin is very elastic, it can withstand such pressure, and if a person is wearing tight-fitting clothes, then the volume of his body will remain unchanged.
A person will have nothing to breathe
This is true, but the situation is not the way many of us imagine it. Pressure is a huge threat to the human respiratory system in space. There is no oxygen in space, so the life span of a person without a spacesuit will depend on how much he can hold his breath. While under water, people hold their breath and try to float to the surface; in space, this will not work. Holding the breath in space leads to rupture of the lungs under the influence of a vacuum, in such a situation it will be impossible to save a person. There is only one way to prolong life in outer space, you need to allow all gases to rapidly leave your body, this process can be accompanied by unpleasant consequences in the form of emptying the stomach or intestines. After the oxygen leaves the respiratory system,the person will have about 14 seconds left while the oxygenated blood continues to feed the brain, after which the person will lose consciousness. However, and this does not mean inevitable death, the human body is not as fragile as it might seem at first glance, it is able to withstand the hostile environment of space. Scientists suggest that if a person, after a one and a half minute stay in open space, is delivered to a safe environment for him, he will not only survive, but will also be able to fully recover from such a test.he is able to withstand the hostile environment of space. Scientists suggest that if a person, after a one and a half minute stay in open space, is delivered to a safe environment for him, he will not only survive, but will also be able to fully recover from such a test.he is able to withstand the hostile environment of space. Scientists suggest that if a person, after a one and a half minute stay in open space, is delivered to a safe environment for him, he will not only survive, but will also be able to fully recover from such a test.
To confirm this assumption, experiments were carried out on monkeys.
During the experiment, all the symptoms that were described above were observed - an increase in the body in volume and loss of consciousness due to oxygen starvation. Similar experiments were carried out with dogs, dogs tolerate vacuum conditions worse, the survival limit for them was only two minutes.
The human body reacts to changes in the environment differently from the body of an animal, so you cannot fully rely on these experiences. It is clear that no one will specifically carry out such experiments on people, but there are several illustrative accidents with astronauts in history. In 1965, space technician Jim LeBlanc tested the tightness of a spacesuit designed for lunar expeditions in a special chamber. In the course of one of the test stages, the pressure in the chamber was as close as possible to the space pressure, the pressure suit was unexpectedly depressurized, and the technician in it lost consciousness after 14 seconds. Normally, it took about half an hour to restore normal ground pressure in the chamber, but due to the extreme situation, the process was accelerated to one and a half minutes. Jim LeBlanc regained consciousnesswhen the pressure in the chamber became the same as on Earth at an altitude of 4.5 km above sea level.
Another example is the accident on the Soyuz 11 spacecraft. When the device descended to the ground, a depressurization occurred. This accident went down in the history of astronautics forever, since the accidental opening of a ventilation valve with a diameter of one and a half centimeters became the cause of the death of three astronauts. According to the information received from the recording equipment, all three lost consciousness 22 seconds after complete depressurization, and death occurred after 2 minutes. The total time spent in near-vacuum conditions was 11.5 minutes. After the spacecraft landed on earth, it was unfortunately too late to save the astronauts.