3 ms·
I think the lungs aren't strong enough to act as a pressure vessel against the vacuum. Trying to hold it in is like expecting your sensitive tissues to behave t
by eksith 13y ago
I think the lungs aren't strong enough to act as a pressure vessel against the vacuum. Trying to hold it in is like expecting your sensitive tissues to behave the same as a scuba tank.
If you don't hold it in, the air will simply leave your lungs and you have about 12-15 seconds before the remaining oxygen in your blood leaves your body making you unconscious. The lungs, instead of trading CO2 for O2 is now working in reverse in the vacuum, exchanging O2 for... nothing. That amount of time should be enough for you to reattach your O2 hose and open the airlock etc.
I also recall reading somewhere that you may urinate, defecate and projectile vomit simultaneously after a while, however by that time, you may already be unconscious.
- torstesu 13y agoYou are correct. You can simulate this by filling your lungs with air at 10 m under water and then rise quickly to the surface while holding your breath. It would be analog to filling your lungs with 2atm at sea level. Boom.
- eksith 13y agoAh, I'm gonna have to take your word for it ;) The diving comparison comes up a lot with these space exposure questions. Even the article mentions Scuba diving. But diving is applicable in many ways not just in terms of physiology, but behavior and psychology as well. I remember there was once also an experiment in an undersea lab where a group of people spent time to see what would happen on similar long duration space missions.
- jlgreco 13y agoDiving comparisons can actually give us real-world examples of Hollywood style decompression too. In real life human bodies don't explode when decompressed in space, but if you depressurize a diving bell on the surface then all bets are off: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byford_Dolphin#Diving_bell_accident http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byford_Dolphin#Diving_bell_acci... 1atm->0atm won't do it, but apparently 9atm->1atm can.
- eksith 13y agoThat's one of the most horrifying things I've ever read. I thank you for the lesson; not so much for the nightmares.
- scott_s 13y agoMythbusters did something similar. They tested what would happen to a diver if you cut the hose in one of those old-school diving suits that had a hose connecting them to the surface. It's not pretty: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEY3fN4N3D8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEY3fN4N3D8 Pressure differentials are powerful.