Body in space?

Question

In the movie, Superman I, an astronaut's body exploded in space due to pressure in the internal body exterting outward into space where there is no pressure. Is that true? Or will the body freeze in space?

I want to hear from the experts in the space industry.

Answer 1

Well, to be honest, its more like pulling a deep sea fish out of the water. There are some obviously bad side effects, but its very over done in movies.
It has been tested extensively by Nasa with both intentional and accidental incidents.
In 1965 they set up pressure chambers to test how spacesuits would work in space. One suit failed and the engineer was conscious for 14 seconds in the depressurizing suit. He passed out, and they returned pressure, and he was fine.
Another incident was a guy who got stuck in a pressure chamber by accident and was trapped in the vaccuum for 4 minutes until one of the managers kicked in the gauges so the pressure could return. He lived.
The expansion of Gas is the most immediate threat in a no-pressure situation. A person who exhales right before they are exposed increases thier chances of survival significantly.

Answer 2

Water will immediately boil, and any gas in the body will forcefully expand. An explosion may be overdramatized, but there will be a rather rapid "poofing" where the body will tsurn inside out in several seconds, with guts coming out every orifice, and the belly may pop as it expands. It would not be a nice thing to see.

It would take hours to totally freeze a body in space, but only if it was in a shadow. If the body were as near the sun as the Earth is, then it would freeze on the half that is away from the sun, and roast on the size facing the sun. If the doby was spinning, it would be like a chicken on a spit.

Ron.

Answer 3

That's true. Well sort of. On earth the pressure of the atmosphere pushes on our body from all sides. We have adapted by also having the same pressure inside our bodies. This way when the pressure outside equals the pressure inside we don't get squished by the atmosphere. In space there is no pressure at all. No air. This is why astronauts wear pressurized suits.
The pressure inside your body would be far greater than the pressure outside and you would hemmorage (bleed). Your eyes would probabaly pop out. You would probably freeze too but the explosion would happen first.

Answer 4

Sure is true.

That is why a balloon expands when it goes up in the air...less and less atmospheric pressure. until you get way up in altitude and there is so little atmospheric pressure that we call it zero pressure.

Our bodies are normally subjected to about 14 pounds per square inch of pressure from our atmosphere. So our innards must push back with 14 PSI of pressure to keep us roughly the same size all the time. Remove the external prtessure and we would burst or explode outwards from all available orifices - mouth, eyes, ears, etc., etc.

Answer 5

It won't explode violently, more like rip. The reason for that is the nitrogen diluted in your blood. The lower the atmospheric or in the case of space exterior pressure, the more nitrogen comes out of the blood in the form of bubbles. (Think bottle of soda) This bubbles don't have a way to go, so your inner pressure increases until it starts ripping you apart with massive hemorrhaging. If you decrease the pressure gradually you expel this nitrogen naturally by breathing, this process is called decompression. As an additional note astronauts are decompressed before EVAs at 700 millibars, and their suits operate at 300 mbar so the actual pressure difference is only 300 mbar or the equivalent of a dive of 3 feet of water. So he (or she) would most likely just freeze to death and then cook and then freeze and then cook. . . not pleasant any way you see it...

Answer 6

The human body doesn't have enough pressure within to explode, but blood would boil, and the lungs would empty all their air. Depending on WHERE the unfortunate sole is, there may be enough sunlight where the body would cook, or if they're farther away, they would indeed freeze.

Answer 7

Not realistic, you remain concious for about 10 seconds, then pass out. You can survive for about 90 seconds if someone helps you, otherwise you die, but you don't explode.

The low pressure causes the moisture and water in your tissues/organs to start to turn to vapor. Because vapor is a gas and takes up more space than liquid water, you begin to swell and balloon up, to about twice your normal size.

Answer 8

If it is suddenly depressurised, it may explode, freezing comes to the pieces later.

Answer 9

The eyes would get sucked from the sockets in a very spectacular fashon. Happens all the time.