How long can a human in outer space last without a spacesuit before exploding?
Answers
Humans don't explode in space. Even though outer space represents a lack of air pressure, which usually counters the internal pressure in our bodies, our tissue is strong enough to handle the imbalance. According to Richard Harding's book "Survival in Space," the blood vessels can withstand the internal pressure without exploding. Humans do die if left in outer space without a space suit. But they die for the same reason as people who are left too long underwater: lack of oxygen. The Federal Aviation Administration reports in advisory circular 61-107 that humans remain fully conscious and useful for 9-12 seconds after being exposed to a vacuum. There are other dangerous effects that the spacesuits protect against, such as cold and radiation, but these do not cause immediate death, and they definitely don't cause explosion.
Here is what will happen if you go to space without a spacesuit:
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.
Okay?
Got it now?
If so, there is a thanks button…
:)