if i were to take my helmet off in space?

Question

what would happen if i took my helmet off in space? would i explode? if i held my breath, closed my eyes and plugged my nose and ears, in space would i be alright?

Answer 1

You would not explode or anything. Vacuum exposure is obviously not good for you. Removing your helmet would cause rapid decompression inside your space suit. This would violently pull any air out of your lungs which could cause severe lung damage, which might even kill you in some situations. If you made sure to push as much air out of your lungs first, then you would probably not suffer any problems there.

Obviously, you wouldn't be able to breathe. You would pass out fairly quickly and if not provided with oxygen in sufficient time, you would die of asphyxiation. Rapid decompression might cause bruising on the skin which may seep blood. The lack of any external pressure on your body would allow some of your blood to boil, creating ebullisms (air pockets in teh blood). This accelerates the loss of consciousness and oxygen depravation as it impairs bloodflow through the body. Any moisture on your skin would quickly turn to frost but this wouldn't be harmful. You wouldn't freeze. As there would be no air to carry heat away, you would only lose heat through the relatively slow process of radiation. You'd die from asphyxiation long before you felt cold.

Answer 2

The atmospheric pressure at sea level is approximately 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch). This pressure is equalized by the same amount of pressure inside of your body. Once you remove your helmet, your body will experience an outward force of 14.7 pounds for every square inch of it's surface!!!

You'd tend to explode, but not because of pressure alone. There are two more factors to consider:

First of all, there are gases dissolved in your body fluids. Things like oxygen in blood, etc. Once you lower the pressure, the gases will bubble out of the body. This is the same effect as when you open a bottle of champagne - gases dissolved in water at high pressure get released when the pressure is lowered.

Than there is another problem. Assuming that you were alive when you took the helmet off, the temperature of water in your body was about 100F. At normal atmospheric pressure water is liquid at that temperature. But not in vacuum. All water would evaporate instantly.

Answer 3

According to me what will happen is one will suffocate to death immediately and blood should come out of the eyes, ears and nose etc...I could not find any means why the body should explode...The air pressure within (inside lungs) will be exhausted out through your nose...even if you held your breath or plug your nose the same will come out of your mouth...The effect of blood pressure created by pumping of heart should cause your eyes, nose and ears to bleed (Were ever you have tender blood vessels)...Please note temperature factor not cosidered as the effect follows much later than this...

Answer 4

You would not be alright if you did all that because your skin would also start to blow up as the gases in your skin and blood start expanding into the vacuum. But it would not take place immediately so if you put your helmet back on soon enough you would feel no effects except for maybe a few broken blood vessels.

Answer 5

The boiling point of a liquid goes down when pressure decreases. Just take your radiator cap off with a hot engine. The result is that ALL the coolant, even that in the farthest reaches of the engine, feels the pressure drop and it all boils. So would your blood and all other water in your body. Turn to vapor. I'm thinking a nasty, bloody explosion.

Answer 6

In this case your head would implode.You would explode at the PSI before suicide.

Answer 7

you would implode i think...