What Happens if Your Body is Exposed to the Vacuum of Space?

Hank answers a SciShow viewer's most pressing question about what happens if the human body gets exposed to space. Would your head really explode?

References

[nekotato]

"The universe is the coldest place in the universe"

Brilliant. This is why I love this channel.

[The_Burning_Sensation]

So all I really need is a helmet, a tightly-sealed diaper, and some great sunblock, and I can basically just treat spacewalking like freediving.

[skjsklajfjsdaf]

This is probably one of the worst ways to die. It's mortifying how you're only conscious long enough to see and feel the life literally being sucked out of you. You can't even scream.

[Natedawg]

Well that was, kinda, reassuring, by which I mean, at least we'll be blacked out/ unconscious when we die in space. Still pretty horrifying to imagine...

[johnnyfavorite]

He missed the single most amazing fact in regards to being exposed to the vacuum of space: Even though a person would only have 10-15 seconds before losing consciousness, *an unprotected individual could float amongst the cosmos for up to 90 seconds with no permanent injury to brain or body;* granted rescue and resuscitation would have to arrive no later than the 91st second.

[thepolopox]

I love that when I think of a random science question, I can usually find an answer on scishow.

[VentiVonOsterreich]

_"So it's like 'WILL I DIE AT ALL?!' well, yeah, you would, you're not Superman"_
laughing and crying my ass off

[davidndiulor]

"You're not Superman"




I know. I'm BATMAN!!

[Illegally-Blind]

I absolutely love the fact that you say "If you are determined enough"
That just made my day

[WrathOfMega]

The only problem I had with the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

[slapittywapitty]

Who else came here IMMEDIATELY after Naomi jumped out the airlock in "The Expanse" S05 E07?

[greggleblom]

"But you probably wouldn't mind that much, considering how dead you'd be." Gee, what a comforting thought, Hank. Thank you.

[disco.ahamed]

I love how Hank is describing how people could die in a with a smile on his face.

[JessilynT]

Watching this after watching The Expanse and still left questions...

[MrGuardiankaos]

So, the only movie that actually did it right was Event Horizon.

[melissa_channel]

I am watching the movie Sunshine with my friend, and we just had to watch this video after their "let's wrap ourselves in foil and float 20 meters in space" scene.

Thanks, SciShow

[bobbywillis]

So there you have it, all you annoying people saying that the “Leia poppins” scene in the last Jedi didn’t make since. You don’t explode or implode, but you will die shortly. You can survive 15 seconds before blacking out and she used those 15 seconds to get back to the ship before blacking out. So shut up.

[Joinemm]

"Because the universe is like the coldest place in the universe" xDDD made my day

[JorkingPeanits]

The universe is the coldest place in the universe.

[marvinthemaniac]

Exposing someone to the vacuum of space was a popular method of execution in most works of sci-fi.