This first thing that Kills a human in Space?

In summary: The pressure outside his body would be so low that the air in his lungs would rupture the pleura and escape into the chest cavity. I don't think it would make it to the heart, but even if it did, it would take more than ten seconds to get there. He would have died from lack of oxygen long before that happened.In summary, there are a variety of factors that could potentially kill a human floating naked in space, including plummeting temperatures, lack of oxygen, pressure changes, radiation, and potential injuries from accidents or collisions. However, it is likely that lack of oxygen would be the most immediate and significant threat, with other factors contributing to a slower death. While
  • #1
Zdenka
43
1
Sorry I can't find any information on this.. Never mind the how, but if one were to suddenly find themselves floating naked in the vacuum of space what would be the thing that will kill them first?

Would it be:
* Plummeting Temperature
* Lack of oxygen
* Pressure (or lack of it)
* Radiation
* Fear

I'm guessing temperature since it's extremely cold in space, but my friend says pressure (wtf?!)
 
Last edited:
Astronomy news on Phys.org
  • #2
As opposed to the second thing that kills a human in space?
 
  • #3
but you can only die once!
 
  • #4
You only live twice,
or so it seems,

I think it's pressure...the blood will boil.

Thats probably rubbish.Perhaps an experiment is called for.
 
  • #5
Blood would boil? You mean chill, because it's going to be freezing.
 
  • #6
But cooling wouldn't be instantaneous and boiling point reduces with pressure.
 
  • #7
Lack of oxygen would kill you.
 
  • #8
moose said:
Lack of oxygen would kill you.

But how quickly?I just tried an experiment by taking a really high jump in the garden and i am happy to report that I am alive and kicking and as handsome as ever.
 
  • #9
moose said:
Lack of oxygen would kill you.
A human being can live for 5 minutes without oxygen but at minus 275 degrees Celsius, I think they'd become brittle far sooner than that.
 
  • #10
Zdenka said:
A human being can live for 5 minutes without oxygen but at minus 275 degrees Celsius, I think they'd become brittle far sooner than that.
Without a medium to carry away heat, cooling doesn't happen very fast.
 
  • #11
Zdenka said:
A human being can live for 5 minutes without oxygen but at minus 275 degrees Celsius, I think they'd become brittle far sooner than that.

But there are no air particles to conduct or convect away heat, so the only mechanism of cooling would be via radiation (which is slow). Theres also the possibility of adiabatic cooling due to the expansion of your body's volume, but I don't think that would be significant.
 
  • #12
<< post edited slightly by berkeman >>
Zdenka have you tried approaching NASA?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #14
It depends on how fast you establish "vacuum". If it were instantaneous, you would definitely expand, tearing tissues apart. Have you never felt pressure change in your ears ?

edit
The article indeed says that you would not "burst apart". Interesting...
 
  • #15
HallsofIvy said:
After googling on "NASA" "survival in space" I got this from our own dear Scientific American:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=survival-in-space-unprotected-possible
Warning: there are descripitions of rather distressing experiments on animals.

They seem to think that internal rupturing from loss of pressure would kill you first.
Safe to say the cerebral edema (not to mention the complete loss of all organ function) and loss of oxygen would result in rapid death. Unconsciouness would precede death.
 
  • #17
russ_watters said:
Without a medium to carry away heat, cooling doesn't happen very fast.

I'd suggest The Amazing Madame Zelda using a 1 yard wheelbarrow.o:)
 
  • #18
My money is on getting ran over by a satellite.
 
  • #19
turbo-1 said:
The article references this scholarly article on the medical effects of explosive decompression.

http://www.geoffreylandis.com/ebullism.html
Clarke got it about right in 2001. You would survive about a ninety seconds, you wouldn't explode, you would remain conscious for about ten seconds.
I have always wondered about Bowman's explosive decompression stunt. I don't expect Myth Busters will be attempting to verify this one with a human show host.
 
  • #20
Topher925 said:
My money is on getting ran over by a satellite.
Or a piece of one:
Space Station Evacuated Due to "Red" Debris Threat
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/090312-space-station-evacuate.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #21
Starvation? I don't think there's any food out there. And even if there is, there's no wine to go with it.
 
  • #22
Your eyes would dry up a little quickly!
 
  • #23
Wow you guys missed the most obvious one, everyone knows it will be aliens, I'm betting on Klingons or Kzinti.
 
  • #24
One forgot 'boredom' on the list in the OP. There's almost nothing in space, and interesting places are rather far away.

Is one planning a trip soon?
 
  • #25
Astronuc said:
One forgot 'boredom' on the list in the OP. There's almost nothing in space, and interesting places are rather far away.

Is one planning a trip soon?
Out in hard vacuum with no space-suit? I doubt that boredom would be much of a problem.
 
  • #26
jimmysnyder said:
Starvation? I don't think there's any food out there. And even if there is, there's no wine to go with it.
Wow. Remind me to get out of your way when in route to a meal.
 
  • #27
Was Dave's reentry to the station in the movie 2001 possible?

I tried to find a clip but the only one spotted ends right at the critical scene. Basically what happens is that Dave just holds his breath. IIRC, he enables the explosive bolts on his space pod, which blows him into an external entry chamber of the station. At that point he manages to get a door open and move inside the station within a few seconds. He then enables air pressure to the entry containment area.
 
  • #28
Ivan Seeking said:
Was Dave's reentry to the station in the movie 2001 possible?
Very plausible per the link posted earlier, which says you'd have 9-10s before losing consciousness. Bowman did it ~within that time frame, so AC Clarke wrote it correctly.
http://www.geoffreylandis.com/ebullism.html
 
  • #31
Ivan Seeking said:
Was Dave's reentry to the station in the movie 2001 possible?

I tried to find a clip but the only one spotted ends right at the critical scene. Basically what happens is that Dave just holds his breath.
Two things wrong with the scene:

1] The pod should have rocketed away in the oppoisite direction.
2] If he actually held his breath (as opposed to letting it all out), then he would have died within the hour from ruptured pleura and alveoli.
 
  • #32
DaveC426913 said:
Two things wrong with the scene:

1] The pod should have rocketed away in the oppoisite direction.
IIRC he used the pod arms to lock onto some part of the spacecraft .[/QUOTE]
 
  • #33
*sigh*
Where's Evo? I swear she posts this link in every one of these threads:
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970603.html
How long can a human live unprotected in space?

If you don't try to hold your breath, exposure to space for half a minute or so is unlikely to produce permanent injury. Holding your breath is likely to damage your lungs, something scuba divers have to watch out for when ascending, and you'll have eardrum trouble if your Eustachian tubes are badly plugged up, but theory predicts -- and animal experiments confirm -- that otherwise, exposure to vacuum causes no immediate injury. You do not explode. Your blood does not boil. You do not freeze. You do not instantly lose consciousness.

Various minor problems (sunburn, possibly "the bends", certainly some [mild, reversible, painless] swelling of skin and underlying tissue) start after ten seconds or so. At some point you lose consciousness from lack of oxygen. Injuries accumulate. After perhaps one or two minutes, you're dying. The limits are not really known.

You do not explode and your blood does not boil because of the containing effect of your skin and circulatory system. You do not instantly freeze because, although the space environment is typically very cold, heat does not transfer away from a body quickly. Loss of consciousness occurs only after the body has depleted the supply of oxygen in the blood. If your skin is exposed to direct sunlight without any protection from its intense ultraviolet radiation, you can get a very bad sunburn.
 
  • #34
You are though likely to be unconscious in seconds. In a vacuum your lungs work very efficiently in reverse and suck oxygen out of your blood stream.
At 35,000ft (typical altitude for a passenger plane) you have 5-10seconds of consciousness which is why the FAA require pilots to wear oxygen masks above 25,000ft if they are the alone on the flight deck.
 
  • #35
DaveC426913 said:
2] If he actually held his breath (as opposed to letting it all out), then he would have died within the hour from ruptured pleura and alveoli.

I was suprised once when watching a terribly cheesy unrealistic scifi cartoon that they actually got this bit right.
 
<h2>1. What is the first thing that kills a human in space?</h2><p>The first thing that kills a human in space is the lack of oxygen. Without a constant supply of oxygen, the body cannot function and the person will eventually suffocate.</p><h2>2. How long can a human survive in space without a spacesuit?</h2><p>Without a spacesuit or other protective gear, a human can survive for about 15 seconds in space before losing consciousness due to lack of oxygen. However, the extreme temperatures and radiation in space would ultimately lead to death within a few minutes.</p><h2>3. Can humans survive in space for an extended period of time?</h2><p>Yes, humans can survive in space for an extended period of time with the proper equipment and training. NASA astronauts have spent up to a year on the International Space Station, which is in low Earth orbit.</p><h2>4. What other dangers do humans face in space?</h2><p>In addition to the lack of oxygen, humans in space also face dangers such as extreme temperatures, radiation, and the potential for equipment malfunctions or accidents. Microgravity can also have negative effects on the human body, such as muscle and bone loss.</p><h2>5. Has anyone died in space from a non-human-related cause?</h2><p>Yes, three astronauts from the Soviet Union's Soyuz 11 mission died in 1971 when their spacecraft depressurized during reentry. This remains the only in-flight space disaster that resulted in fatalities.</p>

1. What is the first thing that kills a human in space?

The first thing that kills a human in space is the lack of oxygen. Without a constant supply of oxygen, the body cannot function and the person will eventually suffocate.

2. How long can a human survive in space without a spacesuit?

Without a spacesuit or other protective gear, a human can survive for about 15 seconds in space before losing consciousness due to lack of oxygen. However, the extreme temperatures and radiation in space would ultimately lead to death within a few minutes.

3. Can humans survive in space for an extended period of time?

Yes, humans can survive in space for an extended period of time with the proper equipment and training. NASA astronauts have spent up to a year on the International Space Station, which is in low Earth orbit.

4. What other dangers do humans face in space?

In addition to the lack of oxygen, humans in space also face dangers such as extreme temperatures, radiation, and the potential for equipment malfunctions or accidents. Microgravity can also have negative effects on the human body, such as muscle and bone loss.

5. Has anyone died in space from a non-human-related cause?

Yes, three astronauts from the Soviet Union's Soyuz 11 mission died in 1971 when their spacecraft depressurized during reentry. This remains the only in-flight space disaster that resulted in fatalities.

Similar threads

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
22
Views
2K
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
13
Views
3K
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
12
Views
2K
  • Sci-Fi Writing and World Building
Replies
7
Views
900
  • Mechanical Engineering
Replies
28
Views
2K
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
20
Views
24K
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • Classical Physics
Replies
8
Views
1K
Replies
6
Views
1K
Back
Top