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Surviving in Space Without a Spacesuit

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the i'll-just-wear-a-nice-sweater dept.

Geoffrey writes "The recent movie Sunshine features a scene (echoing the famous scene in 2001: a Space Odyssey) in which two astronauts have to cross from one ship to another without spacesuits. But, can you survive in space without a spacesuit? Morgan Smith, writing in Slate, asks whether this is realistic, and concludes: "Yes, for a very short time.""

31 of 481 comments (clear)

  1. fp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Well! That settles that, then.

  2. "Space Hickey"? by markbt73 · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...I think I found my new band name...

    --
    "Oh boy! Are we going to try something dangerous?"
  3. next time by caffeinemessiah · · Score: 4, Funny
    good thing to remember next time you're in space:

    Of course, on Earth, you could hold your breath for several minutes without passing out. But that's not going to help in a vacuum. In fact, attempting to hold your breath is a sure way to a quick death.

    --
    An old-timer with old-timey ideas.
    1. Re:next time by DaveCar · · Score: 3, Funny


      There's only really one person who might sit in the intersection of "been in space" and "reads slashdot", so unless Shuttleworth is reading this you just wasted a minute of your life that you will never get back ;)

    2. Re:next time by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Funny

      Compared to all the other meaningful minutes we spend here all the time...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:next time by Torvaun · · Score: 3, Funny

      In Soviet Russia, live polar bear eats you!

      --
      I see your informative link, and raise you a pithy comment.
    4. Re:next time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      There's only really one person who might sit in the intersection of "been in space" and "reads slashdot", so unless Shuttleworth is reading this you just wasted a minute of your life that you will never get back ;)

      What? CleverNickName doesn't read slashdot anymore?

  4. You can survive for 30 seconds by Conspiracy_Of_Doves · · Score: 5, Funny

    But the odds of being picked up by a passing space ship in that time are two to the power of 2079460347 to one against.

    --

    Technoli
    1. Re:You can survive for 30 seconds by Thrakamazog · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...and falling

    2. Re:You can survive for 30 seconds by retro128 · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's why I always make sure there's a ship somewhere in the universe that has an infinite improbability drive before I jump out of an airlock without a space suit.

      --
      -R
    3. Re:You can survive for 30 seconds by damn_registrars · · Score: 3, Funny

      It seems highly improbable that you could ever guarantee that...

      --
      Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    4. Re:You can survive for 30 seconds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      In which case, it should occur almost immediately.

  5. Also, on the Simpsons by Normal+Dan · · Score: 2, Funny

    two presidential candidates survived in space for a few moments after they were jettison from an alien space craft in a Halloween episode. I think. My memory is a bit fuzzy on this one.

    --
    A unique way to learn a language: http://languageloom.com
  6. Forget the big problem; important smaller problem by weak* · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe, but once they retrieve you, if your clothing needs to be removed for any reason (e.g. medical), you're going to have shrinkage like you just did the polar bear plunge... and all in front of your unreasonably hot female costar. :(

    --
    The Schwartz space ain't from Spaceballs.
  7. About 30 Seconds by batquux · · Score: 3, Funny

    But with space being really big and all, the chances of being picked up within that time are 2^2,079,460,347 to one against.

  8. So did Farscape by coren2000 · · Score: 3, Funny

    So did Farscape ... and if it happened on Farscape, well its 100% believable.

    1. Re:So did Farscape by coren2000 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yes. That is why the US defense budget was $400Bil. They are creating Sperm Whale spaceships to fight the USSR.

    2. Re:So did Farscape by nschubach · · Score: 2, Funny

      Only if they can materialize out of thin air and fall to their death at the planet's surface.

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
  9. Re:Forget the big problem; important smaller probl by SighKoPath · · Score: 3, Funny

    Like mentioned many times already, the cold is not the issue. It is the lack of pressure. So, wouldn't it be like using one of those vacuum pump devices? If so, clothing removal in front of your unreasonably hot female costar could be just what the doctor ordered, if she doesn't mind a bit of discoloration...

  10. Re:SG-1 had a similar scene by Ucklak · · Score: 4, Funny

    I liked how Outland dealt with the subject; just have the guys explode making a mess in their spacesuit.
    Can you imagine being the next guy to use that suit?

    "Uh, sorry but Jeff thought that tarantulas were crawling in his suit so he pulled his air line and exploded. We cleaned it the best we could."

    --
    if you steal from one source, that is plagiarism, if you steal from many, well, that's just research.
  11. Re:2001 Movie. by BRSQUIRRL · · Score: 2, Funny

    He put his ship right next to the hanger doors creating as much as an airtight seal he could then he opened the door and all the air left his ship and filled the hanger area giving some pressure for him so his head doesn't explode but the air was rapidly thinning because it wasn't completly air tight so he only had a couple of seconds to get in.

    Sounds like someone needs to take a deep breath. I'm suffering from oxygen deprivation just reading that sentence. :)

  12. Re:SG-1 had a similar scene by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I've refrained from profanity, racial/ethnic epitaphs and am 5'11" - how can I be ranked as troll?

    You're probably getting modded as "-1 Troll" since there's no "-1 Illiterate moron" mod. Since I'm posting AC anyhow, here's a racial epitaph for you:

    Here lies a dead Chinaman. RIP

  13. Re:15 seconds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You smoke, so odds are everyone has better lung capacity than you.

  14. In space, nobody can.. by Plutonite · · Score: 5, Funny

    ..hear your frozen dick fall off.

    [The author of this post understands the negligible effects of loss of heat solely through radiation in extremely short time periods, but encourages the reader to take a break and try to laugh].

  15. Re:Three magic words: by sanjacguy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Explosive Evacuation Bowels. This would make for a nice little methane rocket - too bad it'd make totally crappy thrust.
  16. Also Star Trek Nemesis by Omega · · Score: 3, Funny


    Data jumped from the Enterprise to the Predator without a suit (or anything other than momentum to carry him), but of course being an android he could probably better sustain the lack of air pressure, oxygen and severe UV exposure no problem. His big problem was the self-propulsion.
    </big_nerd_moment>

  17. Re:SG-1 had a similar scene by WormholeFiend · · Score: 2, Funny

    Alien also had that scene, except with the alien, not with a human.

    I wonder what would be the effect of space engines an unprotected human in vacuum trying to get inside...

  18. Re:SG-1 had a similar scene by orzetto · · Score: 4, Funny

    And the best quote from that episode was seconds before that, when Carter asked whether it was possible to transport them directly from the inside of the fighter:

    Carter Dad, can you beam them up?

    Jacob/Selmak Who am I, Scotty?

    --
    Victims of 9/11: <3000. Traffic in the US: >30,000/y
  19. Re:15 seconds? by Funkcikle · · Score: 4, Funny

    Surely, astronauts ought to have better lung capacity than yours truly?
    Try again whilst drunk.
  20. Duct tape by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 5, Funny
    Lots. Wrap yourself up. Can't explode then.

    Couple of rolls sounds like a reasonable makeshift pressure suit.

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  21. Re:Imagine drowning if you couldn't hold your brea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    After he came to, they asked the tech what the last thing he remembered was. He told them the last thing he remembered before blacking out was the saliva on his tongue boiling away (due to the extremely low pressure lowering the boiling point of the saliva)

    Wow - such presence of mind. Although he was about to pass out, he reasoned his way through the physical cause of his saliva evaporating!