How Long Could One Survive In Space Without A Spacesuit? This Video Might Provide The Answer

During our childhood, many of us dreamt of venturing into space as astronauts. The mental image of these space travels often includes an astronaut clad in a spacesuit. However, have you ever stopped to consider the chilling consequences that would unfold if that indispensable spacesuit were to go missing in the vast emptiness of space? Recently, a simulation has vividly depicted the harrowing fate that would befall a human left without the safeguard of a spacesuit in the unforgiving expanse of the cosmos.

The folks at DG EYE Science on YouTube have given us a glimpse into the nightmare scenario of being an astronaut without a spacesuit. Contrary to common belief, the video starts by dispelling the myth that humans instantly explode in the vacuum of space. Instead, the unsettling journey begins with a rupture in lung tissue. In the initial five seconds of this cosmic catastrophe, the situation takes an even more bizarre turn. The water on the surface of the eyes, skin, and mouth decides to call it quits and evaporate. Adding to the distress, the water in the blood starts to boil.

The simulation takes a surprising twist as the unfortunate astronaut begins to expand like a balloon. In this strange cosmic horror, the skin emerges as the hero, proving elastic and robust enough to endure the increasing pressure. However, the heart eventually reaches its limit and decides to call it quits. The end is death by asphyxiation.

And for those who might not be familiar with the term, let us enlighten you – this perilous state involves the deprivation of oxygen, leading to potential unconsciousness or, in the gravest cases, death by suffocation.

NASA’s Dr. Kris Lehnhardt explains to Live Science that the human body’s water-filled tissues go into full expansion mode in the absence of pressure. Given that we’re basically walking, talking water balloons, this turns out to be a bit of a problem.

Aerospace engineer Jim LeBlanc, who had a brush with space nudity in 1966 during a spacesuit test, described his near miss as a tongue-bubbling, blackout-inducing experience.

“As I stumbled backwards, I could feel the saliva on my tongue starting to bubble just before I went unconscious, and that’s kind of the last thing I remember," explained the intrepid astronaut in the documentary series, Moon Machines.