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Posted by =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Jan_Vorbr=FCgge on August 14, 2006, 3:13 am
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> I was told that if you venture into space without a suit, you will
> essentially explode due to lack of pressure.
>
> Out of curiosity, is this true?
No.
Jan
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Posted by Mike Combs on August 15, 2006, 2:52 pm
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>I was told that if you venture into space without a suit, you will
> essentially explode due to lack of pressure.
> Out of curiosity, is this true?
The people who told you that know it's true because they saw it in a movie.
But in truth, no, you wouldn't explode. One would have about 15 seconds of
consciousness. Then in about 60 seconds one would be dead. But one
wouldn't explode.
Arthur C. Clarke got so tired of this misconception that he saw to it "2001"
included a scene of an astronaut briefly exposed to vacuum. But many movies
made well after "2001" continued to portray this inaccurately.
--
Regards,
Mike Combs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By all that you hold dear on this good Earth
I bid you stand, Men of the West!
Aragorn
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Posted by Dan Swartzendruber on August 17, 2006, 7:12 pm
Please log in for more thread options mikecombs@nospam.com_chg_nospam_2_ti.retro.com says...
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> >I was told that if you venture into space without a suit, you will
> > essentially explode due to lack of pressure.
> > Out of curiosity, is this true?
>
> The people who told you that know it's true because they saw it in a movie.
>
> But in truth, no, you wouldn't explode. One would have about 15 seconds of
> consciousness. Then in about 60 seconds one would be dead. But one
> wouldn't explode.
>
> Arthur C. Clarke got so tired of this misconception that he saw to it "2001"
> included a scene of an astronaut briefly exposed to vacuum. But many movies
> made well after "2001" continued to portray this inaccurately.
He also had a scene in Earthlight (I think that was it) where crew of a
crippled spaceship (who had no spacesuits) had to go across an emergency
line to the rescuing ship.
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Posted by David on August 19, 2006, 7:25 pm
Please log in for more thread options Mike Combs wrote:
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>
>>I was told that if you venture into space without a suit, you will
>>essentially explode due to lack of pressure.
>>Out of curiosity, is this true?
>
>
> The people who told you that know it's true because they saw it in a movie.
Actually, if you hold your breath while decompressing to vacuum, your
lungs may just explode (or do something very similar). But agreed, your
whole body won't go *pop* like in the movies ;) .
--
David
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Posted by on August 23, 2006, 4:33 pm
Please log in for more thread options First, you would start losing water - because at 63,000 feet pressure
altitude water boils at about 98.6F, hence people have to wear pressure
suits to prevent that from happening. Actually because of the reduced
efficiency of the oxygen-CO2 exchange in the lungs the USAF mandates
pressure suits be worn for flight above 50,000. Pressure breathing -
higher pressure oxygen rammed into you via a tight-fitting mask does
work up to aboput 55,000 but it's dangerous as it hikes your blood
pressure. It's also damn unconfortable and you have to forcibly exhale
after each breath. Second, with additional oxygen you will pass out in
about 9 seconds above about 45000 equivalent ambient pressure because
the blood coming from the lungs to the brain will have insufficent
oxygen available.Since the brain cannot store oxygen, out you go. It's
been filmed many a time in altitude chambers and every high-altitude
pilot gets to watch one of these films every three years or so. BTW I
used to teach this along with supervising (and doing) pressure suit
flight in the USAF. As for holding your breath - as little as 4 1/2 psi
overpressure in your lungs can rupture them. I know of a case where a
novice diver surfaced from around 10 feet down still holding a breath
of air from his tank - killed him. Okinawa, around 1955.
Walt BJ
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> essentially explode due to lack of pressure.
>
> Out of curiosity, is this true?