We debunk the most common myths about space. What will happen in outer space with a man without a spacesuit

1. A person will not instantly turn into an ice?

Heating or cooling occurs either due to contact with cold external environment or through thermal radiation.

In a vacuum, there is no medium, there is nothing to contact with. To be more precise, in a vacuum there is a very rarefied gas, which, due to its rarefiedness, gives a very weak effect. Vacuum is used in a thermos just to keep warm! Without contact with a cold substance, the hero will not experience burning cold at all.

2. It will take a long time to freeze

As far as radiation is concerned, human body, once in a vacuum, will gradually give off heat by radiation. In a thermos, the walls of the flask are made mirrored in order to keep the radiation. This process is rather slow. Even if the astronaut does not have a spacesuit, but there is clothing, it will help to keep warm.

3. Roast?

But you can get burned. If the case takes place in space near a star, then you can get sunburn on bare skin - as from excessive sunburn on the beach. If it happens somewhere in the orbit of the Earth, then the effect will be stronger than on the beach, since there is no atmosphere there that protects against hard ultraviolet radiation. 10 seconds is enough to get burned. But still, this is also not a burning heat, and besides, clothing should also protect. What if we are talking about a hole in a space suit or a crack in a helmet, then you don’t have to worry about this topic.

4. Boiling saliva

The boiling point of liquids depends on pressure. The lower the pressure, the lower the boiling point. Therefore, in a vacuum, liquids will evaporate. This was discovered in experiments - not immediately, but saliva boils, since the pressure is almost zero, and the temperature of the tongue is 36 C. Apparently, the same thing will happen to all mucous membranes (in front of the eyes, in the lungs) - they will dry out, if only from the body will not receive new mucus.

By the way, if you take not just a liquid film, but a large volume of water, then, probably, there will be an effect like “dry ice”: evaporation from the outside, heat is quickly lost with evaporation, due to this, the inside freezes. It can be assumed that a ball of water in space will partially evaporate, and the rest will turn into a piece of ice.

5. Will the blood boil?

Elastic skin, vessels, heart will create sufficient pressure so that nothing boils.

6. The effect of champagne is also not expected

Scuba divers have such a nuisance as decompression sickness. The reason is what happens to the champagne bottle.

In addition to boiling, there is also the dissolution of gases in the blood. When the pressure drops, the gases turn into bubbles. Champagne releases dissolved carbon dioxide, while scuba divers release nitrogen.

But this effect occurs at large pressure drops - at least a few atmospheres. And when it enters a vacuum, the drop is only one atmosphere. The article does not say anything on this topic, no symptoms are described - apparently, this is not enough.

7. Air from the inside will break?

It is assumed that the victim will exhale it - and therefore will not break it. What if he doesn't breathe? Let's assess the threat. Let the spacesuit maintain a pressure of 1 atm. This is 10 kg per square centimeter. If a person tries to hold his breath, then the soft palate gets in the way of the air. If there is an area of ​​at least 2 × 2 cm, then a load of 40 kg will be obtained. It is unlikely that the soft palate will withstand - a person will exhale on his own, like a deflated balloon.

8. Will the person suffocate?

This is the main and real threat. There is nothing to breathe. How long can a person survive without air? Trained divers - a few minutes, an untrained person - no more than a minute.

But! This is on inspiration, when the lungs are full of air with oxygen residues. And there, remember, you have to exhale. How long can a simple person last on an exhalation? 30 seconds. But! On exhalation, the lungs do not “shrink” to the end, there is little oxygen left. In space, apparently, there will be even less oxygen (how much can be kept). The specific time after which a person will lose consciousness from suffocation is known - about 14 seconds.

1. A person will not instantly turn into an ice?
Heating or cooling occurs either due to contact with a cold external environment, or through thermal radiation.
In a vacuum, there is no medium, there is nothing to contact with. To be more precise, in a vacuum there is a very rarefied gas, which, due to its rarefiedness, gives a very weak effect. Vacuum is used in a thermos just to keep warm! Without contact with a cold substance, the hero will not experience burning cold at all.

2. It will take a long time to freeze
As for radiation, the human body, once in a vacuum, will gradually give off heat by radiation. In a thermos, the walls of the flask are made mirrored in order to keep the radiation. This process is rather slow. Even if the astronaut does not have a spacesuit, but there is clothing, it will help to keep warm.

3. Roast?
But you can get burned. If it takes place in space near a star, then you can get a sunburn on bare skin - like from excessive sunburn on the beach. If it happens somewhere in the orbit of the Earth, then the effect will be stronger than on the beach, since there is no atmosphere there that protects against hard ultraviolet radiation. 10 seconds is enough to get burned. But still, this is also not a burning heat, and besides, clothing should also protect. And if we are talking about a hole in a spacesuit or a crack in a helmet, then you don’t have to worry about this topic.

4. Boiling saliva
The boiling point of liquids depends on pressure. The lower the pressure, the lower the boiling point. Therefore, in a vacuum, liquids will evaporate. This was discovered in experiments - not immediately, but saliva boils, since the pressure is almost zero, and the temperature of the tongue is 36 C. Apparently, the same thing will happen to all mucous membranes (in front of the eyes, in the lungs) - they will dry out, if only from the body will not receive new mucus.
By the way, if you take not just a liquid film, but a large volume of water, then, probably, there will be an effect like “dry ice”: evaporation from the outside, heat is quickly lost with evaporation, due to this, the inside freezes. It can be assumed that a ball of water in space will partially evaporate, and the rest will turn into a piece of ice.

5. Will the blood boil?
Elastic skin, vessels, heart will create sufficient pressure so that nothing boils.

6. The effect of champagne is also not expected
Scuba divers have such a nuisance as decompression sickness. The reason is what happens to the champagne bottle.
In addition to boiling, there is also the dissolution of gases in the blood. When the pressure drops, the gases turn into bubbles. Champagne releases dissolved carbon dioxide, while scuba divers release nitrogen.
But this effect occurs at large pressure drops - at least a few atmospheres. And when it enters a vacuum, the drop is only one atmosphere. The article does not say anything on this topic, no symptoms are described - apparently, this is not enough.

7. Air from the inside will break?
It is assumed that the victim will exhale it - and therefore will not break it. What if he doesn't breathe? Let's assess the threat. Let the spacesuit maintain a pressure of 1 atm. This is 10 kg per square centimeter. If a person tries to hold his breath, then the soft palate gets in the way of the air. If there is an area of ​​at least 2 × 2 cm, then a load of 40 kg will be obtained. It is unlikely that the soft palate will withstand - a person will exhale on his own, like a deflated balloon.

8. Will the person suffocate?
This is the main and real threat. There is nothing to breathe. How long can a person survive without air? Trained divers - a few minutes, an untrained person - no more than a minute.
But! This is on inspiration, when the lungs are full of air with oxygen residues. And there, remember, you have to exhale. How long can a simple person last on an exhalation? 30 seconds. But! On exhalation, the lungs do not “shrink” to the end, there is little oxygen left. In space, apparently, there will be even less oxygen (how much can be kept). The specific time after which a person will lose consciousness from suffocation is known - about 14 seconds.

26.04.2012 00:52

1. A person will not instantly turn into an ice?

Heating or cooling occurs either due to contact with a cold external environment, or through thermal radiation.
In a vacuum, there is no medium, there is nothing to contact with. To be more precise, in a vacuum there is a very rarefied gas, which, due to its rarefiedness, gives a very weak effect. Vacuum is used in a thermos just to keep warm! Without contact with a cold substance, the hero will not experience burning cold at all.

2. It will take a long time to freeze

As for radiation, the human body, once in a vacuum, will gradually give off heat by radiation. In a thermos, the walls of the flask are made mirrored in order to keep the radiation. This process is rather slow. Even if the astronaut does not have a spacesuit, but there is clothing, it will help to keep warm.

3. Roast?

But you can get burned. If it takes place in space near a star, then you can get sunburn on exposed skin - like from excessive sunburn on the beach. If it happens somewhere in the orbit of the Earth, then the effect will be stronger than on the beach, since there is no atmosphere there that protects against hard ultraviolet radiation. 10 seconds is enough to get burned. But still, this is also not a burning heat, and besides, clothing should also protect. And if we are talking about a hole in a spacesuit or a crack in a helmet, then you don’t have to worry about this topic.

4. Boiling saliva

The boiling point of liquids depends on pressure. The lower the pressure, the lower the boiling point. Therefore, in a vacuum, liquids will evaporate. This was discovered in experiments - not immediately, but saliva boils, since the pressure is almost zero, and the temperature of the tongue is 36 C. Apparently, the same thing will happen to all mucous membranes (in front of the eyes, in the lungs) - they will dry out, if only from the body will not receive new mucus.
By the way, if you take not just a liquid film, but a large volume of water, then, probably, there will be an effect like “dry ice”: evaporation from the outside, heat is quickly lost with evaporation, due to this, the inside freezes. It can be assumed that a ball of water in space will partially evaporate, and the rest will turn into a piece of ice.

5. Will the blood boil?

Elastic skin, vessels, heart will create sufficient pressure so that nothing boils.

6. The effect of champagne is also not expected

Scuba divers have such a nuisance as decompression sickness. The reason is what happens to the bottle of champagne.
In addition to boiling, there is also the dissolution of gases in the blood. When the pressure drops, the gases turn into bubbles. Champagne releases dissolved carbon dioxide, while scuba divers release nitrogen.
But this effect occurs at large pressure drops - at least a few atmospheres. And when it enters a vacuum, the drop is only one atmosphere. The article does not say anything on this topic, no symptoms are described - apparently, this is not enough.

7. Air from the inside will break?

It is assumed that the victim will exhale it - and therefore will not break it. What if he doesn't breathe? Let's assess the threat. Let the spacesuit maintain a pressure of 1 atm. This is 10 kg per square centimeter. If a person tries to hold his breath, then the soft palate gets in the way of the air. If there is an area of ​​at least 2 × 2 cm, then a load of 40 kg will be obtained. It is unlikely that the soft palate will withstand - a person will exhale on his own, like a deflated balloon.

8. Will the person suffocate?

This is the main and real threat. There is nothing to breathe. How long can a person survive without air? Trained divers - a few minutes, an untrained person - no more than a minute.
But! This is on inspiration, when the lungs are full of air with oxygen residues. And there, remember, you have to exhale. How long can a simple person last on an exhalation? 30 seconds. But! On exhalation, the lungs do not “shrink” to the end, there is little oxygen left. In space, apparently, there will be even less oxygen (how much can be kept). The specific time after which a person will lose consciousness from suffocation is known - about 14 seconds.

We love watching films about space, but drawing knowledge about life from them is not always true. So, in films it is shown that a person, once in space without a spacesuit, can explode or freeze.

Will the person explode?

No, a person will not explode, no matter how vividly it is shown in science fiction films. That's why they are fantastic - the laws of the genre oblige, but in reality this will not happen to a person. It must be admitted that there is still logic in this myth, since it is quite logical to assume that due to big difference pressure, a person "puffs up" and can burst like a balloon.

In fact, a person will simply exhale all the air, since with a pressure drop in the spacesuit of 1 atmosphere, the load on the soft palate, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich can be conditionally considered as 4 square centimeters, will be 40 kilograms. A person with all the desire will not be able to hold back the air. And of course it won't explode. Human tissues are not an elastic balloon and are not as fragile as brushwood.

Will the person freeze?

Contrary to ideas, a person who finds himself in space without a spacesuit will not turn into ice and will not freeze instantly, since space is a vacuum, neither cold nor hot, heat is transmitted there only by radiation, and it is negligible for a person. The person will feel cool, and water will evaporate from the surface of the body. Instant freezing is definitely not a threat to a person - in the absence of an atmosphere, heat will be removed from the body very slowly

Do liquids boil?

The blood of a person who finds himself in space without a spacesuit will definitely not boil, because if the external pressure drops to zero at a blood pressure of 120/80, the boiling point of the blood will be 46 degrees, which is higher than body temperature. Blood, unlike saliva, is in closed system, veins and vessels allow it to be in liquid state even at low pressure.

Water, unlike blood, will begin to evaporate quickly, and from all surfaces of the body, including the eyes. Also, the boiling of water in soft tissues will cause an increase in the volume of some organs by about half and damage to organs. It is also believed that a person, once in a vacuum, can feel the signs of decompression sickness, but this is unlikely, since the pressure difference will be only one atmosphere.

Will the person burn?

On fire - will not light up, but may burn. There is no UV protection in space. All exposed areas of the body that have been exposed to direct sunlight will develop ultraviolet burns.

Will the person suffocate?

Yes, the person will suffocate. After about 30 seconds, he will lose consciousness, because the air, as we know, he will have to exhale, the person will experience a state of deep hypoxia. Loss of orientation and vision will occur.

However, if within one and a half minutes a person is nevertheless placed in an oxygen chamber, then, most likely, he will come to his senses.

There were several precedents in the history of astronautics when a person experienced depressurization in space. On August 19, 1960, astronaut Joseph Kittinger jumped from a height of 31,300 meters. The tightness of Kittinger's right glove was broken, causing the hand to become very swollen and painful.
In 1965 American astronaut ended up in vacuum chamber, he lost consciousness after 14 seconds. He remembered that during this time saliva boiled on his tongue.

The science

modern cinema and fantasy books about space often confuse us, presenting many facts distorted. Of course, you can’t believe everything that you see on the screen or read on the Internet, but some delusions are so firmly entrenched in our minds that it’s hard for us to believe that in reality everything is somewhat different.

For example, what do you think will happen if a person is in open space without spacesuit? Will his blood boil and evaporate, will he develop into small pieces, or maybe he will turn into a block of ice?

Many believe that the Sun is a ball of fire, Mercury is the hottest planet solar system, a space probes sent only to Mars. How are things really?

A man in space without a spacesuit

Myth #1: A man without a space suit will explode in outer space.

This is probably one of the oldest and most widespread myths. There is an opinion that if a person suddenly finds himself in outer space without a special protective suit, his just tear it apart.

There is logic in this, because there is no pressure in space, so if a person flies too high, he will inflate like a balloon and burst. However, in fact, our body is not at all as elastic as balloon. We can't be torn apart in space, because our body is too elastic. We may get a little bloated, it is true, but our bones, skin and other organs are not so fragile that they burst into pieces in an instant.

In reality, several people have been incredibly influenced low pressure while working in space. In 1966, an astronaut was testing a space suit when a depressurization occurred at altitude. over 36 kilometers. He lost consciousness, but did not explode at all, and later fully recovered.

Myth #2: A person without a space suit will freeze in outer space.

This misconception is fueled by many movies. In many of them, you can see a scene in which one of the heroes is outside the spaceship without a spacesuit. He is right there starts to get cold, and if he stays in outer space certain time, just turn into ice. In reality, everything will happen exactly the opposite. In outer space, you will not get cold at all, but overheat.

Myth #3: Human blood will boil in outer space

This myth stems from the fact that the boiling point of any liquid is directly related to pressure. environment. The higher the pressure, the higher the boiling point and vice versa. This happens because it is easier for liquids to turn into gases when the pressure is lower. Therefore, it would be logical to assume that in space, where there is no pressure, liquids will immediately boil and evaporate, including human blood.

Armstrong Line is the value at which atmospheric pressure is so low that liquids evaporate at a temperature equal to the temperature our body. However, this does not happen with blood.

For example, body fluids, such as saliva or tears, do evaporate. A man who experienced first hand what low pressure is at an altitude of 36 kilometers said that his mouth was really dry, as all the saliva has evaporated. Blood, unlike saliva, is in a closed system, and veins allow it to remain liquid even at very low pressure.

Myth #4: The sun is a flaming ball

The sun is a cosmic object that receives a lot of attention in the study of astronomy. This is a huge fireball around which the planets revolve. He is on ideal living distance from our planet, giving enough heat.

Many misunderstand the Sun, believing that it really burns with a bright flame, like a fire. In reality, this is a large gas ball that gives light and heat thanks to nuclear fusion , which occurs when two hydrogen atoms combine to form helium.

Black holes in space

Myth #5: Black holes are funnel-shaped.

Many people think of black holes as giant funnels. This is how these objects are often depicted in movies. In reality, black holes are virtually "invisible", but to give you an idea of ​​them, artists often depict them as whirlpools that swallow everything around.

At the center of the whirlpool is something that looks like entrance to the underworld. A real black hole resembles a ball. There is no "hole" as such, which draws in. It's just object with very high gravity, which attracts everything that is nearby.

comet tail

Myth #6: A comet has a burning tail.

Imagine for a second a comet. Most likely, your imagination will draw piece of ice flying at high speed through space and leaving behind a bright trace.

Unlike meteors, which flare up in the atmosphere and die, a comet can boast of having a tail at all. not due to friction. Moreover, it is not destroyed at all, traveling in space. Her tail is formed by heat and solar wind, which melt the ice, and dust particles fly off the comet's body in the direction opposite to its movement.

Temperature on Mercury

Myth #7: Mercury is closest to the Sun, which means it's the hottest planet.

After Pluto was removed from the list of planets in the solar system, the smallest of these, Mercury began to be considered. This planet is closest to the Sun, so it can be assumed that it is the hottest. However, this is not true. Moreover, Mercury is actually comparatively cold.

The maximum temperature on Mercury is 427 degrees Celsius. If this temperature were observed over the entire surface of the planet, even then Mercury would be colder than Venus, whose surface temperature is 460 degrees Celsius.

Even though Venus is at a distance 49889664 kilometers from the Sun, it has such a high temperature due to the atmosphere, which consists of carbon dioxide, which traps heat near the surface. Mercury has no such atmosphere.

In addition to the lack of an atmosphere, there is another reason why Mercury is a comparatively cold planet. It's all about its movement and orbit. Mercury completes one revolution around the Sun in 88 earth days, and makes a complete revolution around its axis in 58 earth days. This means that the night on Mercury lasts 58 Earth days, so the temperature on the side that is in the shadow drops to minus 173 degrees Celsius.

Spacecraft launches

Myth #8: The person sent spaceships only to the surface of Mars

Everyone, of course, heard about the rover "Curiosity" and his important scientific work, which he performs while on the surface of Mars today. Probably, many have forgotten that the Red Planet sent other devices.

rover "Opportunity" landed on Mars in 2003. It was expected to work no more than 90 days, but this device is still in working order, although 10 years have passed!

Many people think that we we will never be able to launch spacecraft to work on the surface of other planets. Of course, man sent various satellites into the orbits of the planets, but getting to the surface and landing safely is not an easy task.

However, there have been attempts. Between 1970 and 1984 The USSR successfully launched 8 devices to Venus. The atmosphere of this planet is extremely inhospitable, so all the ships worked there for a very short time. Longest stay - only 2 hours This is even more than scientists expected.

Also, the person got to more distant planets, for example, to Jupiter. This planet is almost entirely composed of gas, so landing on it in the usual sense is somewhat difficult. Scientists still sent a device to her.

In 1989 the spacecraft "Galileo" flew to Jupiter to study this giant planet and its moons. This journey took 14 years. For 6 years the Apparatus diligently carried out its mission, and then it was dropped on Jupiter.

He managed to send important information about the composition of the planet, as well as a number of other data that allowed scientists to reconsider their ideas about the formation of planets. Also another ship called "Juno" now on the way to the giant. It is planned that he will reach the planet only after 3 years.

Weightlessness in space

Myth #9: Astronauts in Earth orbit are in zero gravity.

Real weightlessness or micro-gravity exists far in space, however, not a single person has yet been able to experience it in his own skin, since not one of us has yet did not fly too far from the planet.

Many are sure that astronauts, working in space, hover in weightlessness because they are far from the planet and do not experience the Earth's gravity. However, it is not. Earth's gravity still exists at such a relatively short distance.

When an object revolves around a large cosmic body like the Earth, which has a lot of gravity, this object actually falls. Since the Earth is constantly moving, spaceships do not fall on its surface, but also move. it constant fall creates the illusion of weightlessness.

astronauts in the same way fall inside their ships, but since the ship is moving at the same speed, they seem to float in zero gravity.

A similar phenomenon can be seen in a falling elevator or a sharply descending plane. By the way, the scenes with weightlessness in the picture "Apollo 13" filmed in a descending liner, which is used to train astronauts.

The plane is ascending 9 thousand meters, and then begins to fall sharply during 23 seconds, thereby creating weightlessness inside the cabin. This is exactly the state experienced by astronauts in space.

What is the height of the earth's atmosphere?