During a spacewalk should the astronauts spacesuit suffer a tear what would happen to him?

Answer 1

A space suit leak is a big deal. In the Shuttle suit, an astronaut can survive 22 minutes with a 1/8" hole in his suit. At that point the pressure will drop to where he is likely to suffer permanent brain damage, if he survives. The Shuttle suit has a secondary oxygen pack pressurized to 5,000 psi. If the primary system cannot maintain pressure in the suit (due, for example, to a 1/8-inch hole), the secondary oxygen pack will open its valve and attempt to maintain the pressure.

If there is a large tear, the astronaut might have a few seconds to live. No matter what he does, severe vascular damage is certain, and the probability of permanent damage to the neural system (including the brain) is extremely high. However, the outer layer of the space suit is very tough, and the probability of even a small puncture is low.

Even after all the hours we've had people working in space suits, there has been only one incident (that I know of) where a suit was punctured in space. That incident was apparently caused by using the glove as a hammer to drive a balky pin. A 1/8" steel bar migrated out of the palm restraint and punctured the glove. In that one case, the steel bar and the astronaut's blood sealed the puncture; he didn't even realize his suit had been damaged until after the flight when the suit techs found blood in the outer fabric of the glove.

Answer 2

It depends on how serious the tear is. There are many layers to the suits they wear for spacewalks. A major tear, through all the layers (very unlikely but not impossible) would of course be life threatening as the astronaut could lose oxygen, suffer from immediate decompression, lose consciousness, and die. Very nasty death.

Answer 3

Kevin is close. Assuming it changed into not on the point of the sunlight... A moderate rip in the outer maximum layers should be dealt with. An severe breach ought to not. The body may at modern-day commence to swell from inner rigidity of the cells. there should be some tearing of inner membranes and tissue, causing bleeding. they could then die of lack of oxygen and inner bleeding of the lungs. Then there's a short freezing (water expands even as frozen and the body is frequently water) of the flesh. although, the quick freezing may carry the mass together; it does not amplify infinitely. There does not be burns from temperature. The void of area is phenomenally chilly and there is not adequate warmth to reason a burn. even if, UV mild, to boot as different kinds of radiant means, ought to reason a burn to the outdoors of the frozen mass. It does not be like being in a fireplace or some thing although. So, i wager the fast answer is, you would swell plenty, suffocate and freeze.

Answer 4

If it were a small tear, his air supply would just make up the loss while he went back inside

a sufficiently big tear would be a bigger problem but the suits have some ability to resist air loss from the helmet to the rest of the suit

a really really big tear or a chunk out of the helmet could result in asphyxiation

Answer 5

His spacesuit would blast due to high internal pressure.
Eventually the body of the astronaut may explode due to the pressure inside his body...

However solution are on the way.. New materials are being researched to fit the astronaut's skin. thus it will be less bulky and more comfortable.

Answer 6

there is pressure coming from inside the body of any living animal which is normally balanced by the the air pressure when we are on earth and artificially by the space suit when you are, as an astronaut, walking at space. But in space, there is no air-pressure but pressure coming from inside the body is still there. so, the astronaut will EXPLODE.

Answer 7

The astronaut would explode.

Answer 8

lots of prssure in his body, very little outside. pop goes the space man

Answer 9

All the air would be sucked out of his lungs and he would die instantly.

Answer 10

A nasty little event called explosive decompression...