What happens to your body when you die in space?
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Amelia Rodriguez
Studied at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Lives in Los Angeles, CA
Hello, I'm a space science enthusiast with a keen interest in the effects of space on the human body. When it comes to the question of what happens to your body when you die in space, there are several factors to consider, including the lack of atmosphere, extreme temperatures, and vacuum conditions. Let's delve into the details.
Immediate Effects:
1. Pressure: Without a suit, the pressure in space would cause the gases in your body to expand rapidly, leading to a process similar to decompression sickness. However, the body would not explode as some might imagine; the skin and circulatory system are strong enough to contain the pressure to some extent.
2. Oxygen Deprivation (Hypoxia): The human body can only survive for a few minutes without oxygen. Once the oxygen in your bloodstream is depleted, you would lose consciousness and eventually die due to hypoxia.
3. Temperature: Space is extremely cold, but the human body in the vacuum of space wouldn't freeze instantly. Instead, you would experience a process called "inversion" where heat from your body would be transferred to the cold side, leading to a slow cooling process.
Long-Term Effects:
1. Decomposition: In the vacuum of space, without the presence of bacteria and other microorganisms that facilitate decomposition on Earth, your body would not decompose in the traditional sense. The process would be extremely slow.
2. Radiation: Your body would be exposed to high levels of radiation from cosmic rays and solar particles, which could cause cellular damage and even change the DNA structure.
3. Ablation: The side of your body facing the sun would heat up due to solar radiation, causing the outer layers of your skin to burn off in a process called ablation.
4. Swelling: The lack of external pressure in space would cause your body to swell as the gases inside your body expand.
5. Mummification: Over time, your body would eventually dry out and become a sort of space mummification due to the vacuum and the slow release of moisture.
Immediate Effects:
1. Pressure: Without a suit, the pressure in space would cause the gases in your body to expand rapidly, leading to a process similar to decompression sickness. However, the body would not explode as some might imagine; the skin and circulatory system are strong enough to contain the pressure to some extent.
2. Oxygen Deprivation (Hypoxia): The human body can only survive for a few minutes without oxygen. Once the oxygen in your bloodstream is depleted, you would lose consciousness and eventually die due to hypoxia.
3. Temperature: Space is extremely cold, but the human body in the vacuum of space wouldn't freeze instantly. Instead, you would experience a process called "inversion" where heat from your body would be transferred to the cold side, leading to a slow cooling process.
Long-Term Effects:
1. Decomposition: In the vacuum of space, without the presence of bacteria and other microorganisms that facilitate decomposition on Earth, your body would not decompose in the traditional sense. The process would be extremely slow.
2. Radiation: Your body would be exposed to high levels of radiation from cosmic rays and solar particles, which could cause cellular damage and even change the DNA structure.
3. Ablation: The side of your body facing the sun would heat up due to solar radiation, causing the outer layers of your skin to burn off in a process called ablation.
4. Swelling: The lack of external pressure in space would cause your body to swell as the gases inside your body expand.
5. Mummification: Over time, your body would eventually dry out and become a sort of space mummification due to the vacuum and the slow release of moisture.
Studied at the University of Amsterdam, Lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
If you do die in space, your body will not decompose in the normal way, since there is no oxygen. If you were near a source of heat, your body would mummify; if you were not, it would freeze. If your body was sealed in a space suit, it would decompose, but only for as long as the oxygen lasted.
2014-7-27
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Owen Wilson
QuesHub.com delivers expert answers and knowledge to you.
If you do die in space, your body will not decompose in the normal way, since there is no oxygen. If you were near a source of heat, your body would mummify; if you were not, it would freeze. If your body was sealed in a space suit, it would decompose, but only for as long as the oxygen lasted.
