Terrifying simulation breaks down exactly what would happen to your body in space
Ellie Kemp
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/YouTube/The Infographic Show
A simulation has shown exactly what would happen to our bodies if we got stuck in space.
It's an unlikely scenario that we would find ourself in, BUT, these morbid thoughts often do cross our minds.
We've heard of horrific space accidents before, as well as plenty of near-misses during ambitious missions.
But what impact would the vacuum of space actually have on us?
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Well, one YouTube channel has answered that very question. The answer, as expected, is pretty gruesome - so be warned.
If you were thrust out into the atmosphere without a spacesuit, your first panic response might be to hold your breath.
However, The Infographics Show says that's wrong; If you did that, the oxygen in your lungs, rupturing them.
Breathing out as much as possible to empty your lungs is the way forward. You can survive like this for up to two minutes.
In this time though, the water in your body will begin to vaporise thanks to the lack of atmospheric pressure. You'll begin swelling to double your size - just picture Violet Beauregarde from Willy Wonka.
You'll be conscious for roughly another 15 seconds, until the oxygen in your blood runs out.
Next, the moisture on the outside of your body, like your eyes and tongue, will begin 'boiling.'
But this is more of a 'violent' evaporation than the warm boil you might initially envision.
If you find yourself in the direct line of a star, you can expect a nasty sunburn from unfiltered solar radiation.
As space is roughly -455 celsius (-270 fahrenheit), you'd think your corpse would quickly begin to freeze.
Our skin's insulating properties means we'd stay relatively warm from a decent length of time.
Plus, there's no medium to lose heat in space, so our core body temperature would remain consistent for quite a while.
Things take an even more interesting turn once we're dead up there though.
Extreme radiation and temperatures kill the bacteria that would usually decompose our corpses on Earth.
The loss of liquids plus the freezing temperatures would leave us in a mummified state. This means your body could actually be preserved for millions of years in space.
Perhaps that's the reason why celebrities like Grimes want to die in outerspace.
Next time I look up on a starry night, I won't be able to shake the thought of people's perfectly-preserved bodies floating around for millions of years. Thanks, science. The more you know!