Scientist explains what would actually happen to your body in space without a spacesuit

There are a lot of things to wonder about when it comes to space, but have you ever thought about what would happen if you ventured out there without a spacesuit?

Sure, there's the obvious answer: you wouldn't be able to breathe, and therefore you'd die.

But Dr. Alfredo Carpineti, who has a PhD in Astrophysics, has explained to IFL Science that your body would experience a lot more than struggling lungs.

Thankfully, the reality of heading into space without a spacesuit isn't quite what we see on TV or in movies.

Your face wouldn't melt, and you wouldn't immediately combust.

What would happen is still pretty horrific though, and a lot of it is due to the lack of atmosphere.

As there's no pressure in space, Carpineti explained that fluids evaporate at a much lower temperature.

When it comes to our bodies, that means that everything on the surface, including our skin, mouth and eyes, would bubble.

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On top of that surface bubbling, there would also be bubbles under the skin, in bodily fluids due to a reduction in ambient pressure.

These bubbles could potentially move to the blood, causing an embolism.

One thing that could actually help you if you find yourself cast out into space without a spacesuit, which is hopefully a situation you'll manage to avoid in life, is screaming.

This is handy, since you'd probably not be full of laughter and joy while floating around in endless space with no oxygen.

Carpineti explained that screaming would help prevent you from holding your breath; a move which could cause any leftover air in your lungs to expand, and cause them to rupture.

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Obviously, you'd die after a few seconds either way, but the scientist noted that it would probably be a bit less painful if you screamed, rather than letting your lungs burst.

The lack of oxygen is really the key factor though, as without breathable air, you'd only get about 15 seconds to take in your surroundings before you lost consciousness.

You'd then find yourself floating around for maybe another minute or so, if you're lucky, before your body would give up altogether.

Throughout all of that, you'd be unable to avoid dangerous radiation from the Sun which would cause at the very least bad sunburn, but could also increase your chance of getting cancer.

So even if by some miracle you were rescued from space, you probably wouldn't be in for a great time back on Earth.

All in all, I think it's best to remember your spacesuit the next time you're in space.

Whenever that may be.

Topics: Space, Science

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.