What would happen if a human were to be outside the space station without a spacesuit or oxygen?

Question

What would happen if a human were to be outside the space station without a spacesuit, oxygen, or any kind of attachment to the space station?

Answer 1

All of these answers are wrong.

NASA has done studies with animals subjected to near vaccuum environments, and one accidental human exposure to near vaccuum in a training accident.

What would actually happen is:

You would stay alive, at least until your body ran out of oxygen to use. You don't explode, or freeze, or anything like that. However, if exposed directly to the sunlight without protection a person could be extremely sunburned, and will have a greatly increased possibility of melanoma.

The reason you would not instantly freeze is that space is a vaccuum. No particulate means nothing to pull heat from your body. Thus, the person would not freeze. The body's systems are self-contained, and maintain pressure. So, the pressure differential would not cause an implosion or explosion of the body. The only thing that may kill you is attempting to breath and exposing your lungs to vaccuum.

The man who was accidentally exposed to vaccuum stated that he could hear the air being sucked out through his ears and the water on his tongue began to boil. However, he was only subjected to about 15-20 seconds of vaccuum before they re-pressurized.

What would kill you in about a minute is lack of oxygen, and the inability to breath. Short-term exposure to a vaccuum would not, however, cause instant death or permanent damage to the body.

Answer 2

Without an attachment to the space station he/she would float aimlessly in space (unless they were near a black hole in which case they'd be sucked into and disappear!). As for being without a spacesuit they'd be S.O.L. since they'd suffocate due to lack of oxygen and depending on the location they'd either burn or freeze as well.

Answer 3

Gases in their blood would return to a gaseous state and they would suffer from the bends like a diver returning to the surface too fast. This would probably be enough to kill them, but of course there would also be extreme cold, and no oxygen to breathe.

Answer 4

Either the lungs would explode due to the incredible internal pressure vs no external pressure; or you would instantly freeze solid; or you would die from lack of oxygen. Take your pick.

Answer 5

Sorry all..but the poor sucker will EXplode, not IMplode. There is no atmospheric pressure in space to keep the pieces together

Answer 6

Haven't you EVER watched a Sci-Fi show when they threaten to 'Space' someone... then they describe how the person's blood will boil and they will implode.

Geeze... I thought EVERYONE knew what happens when someone get's 'Spaced'.

Answer 7

It's mainly what the other guys and gals said only you wouldn't explode, but you would have blood coming out of you eye sockets and then you would turn into a human popsicle.

Answer 8

Sudden decompression, instant freezing (sunny side down), instant boiling (sunny side up)

Answer 9

That would be a serious violation of the rules and that person would not be invited back!

Answer 10

suffocation