Contrary to popular belief, you will not immediately explode if you go to space without a spacesuit. But you will eventually die within a few minutes of exposure to space. Why and how does it happen?
As soon as you are exposed to space, your body will begin expanding like a balloon. This is due to the difference in pressure between the inside and outside of our body. On Earth, we are surrounded by a thick layer of air providing the outside pressure that balances the pressure inside us. Since space is a vacuum, there would be no pressure from the outside.
Boiling Blood
When there is no pressure from outside, the gases and fluids in our body will start to expand. This happens because liquids boil at lower temperatures when the pressure is reduced. Your blood and bodily fluids would begin to boil and form gas bubbles inside your body. This formation of gas bubbles in bodily fluids is called ebullism. This would cause your body to swell up like a balloon, though it wouldn’t make you explode as some movies might suggest. Because our skin is elastic enough to handle the expansion. Your saliva would also start to bubble, and the moisture on your tongue would evaporate, creating a sensation of dryness and cold.
Losing Consciousness
The vacuum would also force all the air out of your lungs, potentially causing them to rupture. Even if you tried to hold your breath, it wouldn’t help. Within seconds, you would start to feel the effects of oxygen deprivation, and you would lose consciousness in about 15 seconds. Your body would also face extreme temperatures and harmful radiations causing severe burns or freezing and damage to your skin and internal organs.
Within one to two minutes, if you hadn’t already died from asphyxiation or organ failure, the extreme cold would kill you.
How does a spacesuit protect you?
Spacesuits maintain internal pressure to prevent ebullism and provide a steady supply of oxygen while removing carbon dioxide. Temperature regulation is achieved through built-in heating and cooling systems to prevent extreme cold or heat. The suits also shield against harmful solar and cosmic radiation and provide physical protection from micrometeoroids.
Visors protect astronauts’ eyes from the sun’s intense glare, and built-in communication systems keep them in contact with their team. Spacesuits also include mobility features, allowing astronauts to move and work efficiently in the weightless environment of space.
It shows how complex it is to create a hospitable environment for living beings. The Earth naturally provides all these protections and much more. It also shows why it is too hard to find extra-terrestrial life.
Reference Links:
https://science.howstuffworks.com/suitless-space-walk.htm
https://www.space.com/how-long-could-you-survive-in-space-without-spacesuit
https://www.livescience.com/human-body-no-spacesuit