this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2023
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submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Outside of re entry I bet space is a lot safer then 2 miles deep under the ocean... I really have no clue though

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago

If you have a hull breach in space, supposedly you have up to a few minutes to fix it or put a suit on. 4000m below the surface, you have none.

Either one you could get trapped and suffocate, though, so I think I'm happy on land.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Tbf there are probably identical risks related to pressure, just that the pressure goes the other way.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I just binged The Expanse... Yeah, when the space pirates make you walk the airlock, it's slightly less lethal than being instagibbed by implosion, but certainly far from fun.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Wait... how long can you survive for in a vacuum, and still resemble your usual self if saved?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Not for very long, but not for the reasons countless sci-fi movies and shows have told you: you’ll neither explode nor freeze to death.

People think of vacuum as something massive, but it’s actually just 1 bar difference.

Atmospheric pressure is (roughly) 1 bar, which is comparable to 10 m of water. So getting put in a vacuum is like ascending from a 10 m dive.

You don’t implode at 10 m depth, and you also don’t swell up on Mount Everest, which is roughly at 0.3 bar.

The biggest threat to your life is the actual decompression.

If you’re abruptly thrown into the vacuum, and you don’t manage to exhale immediately, the air in your lungs will expand and rip your lungs. Which is one of the biggest dangers of diving.

But more likely is that it‘ll just rip the air out of your body, which probably isn’t good for either your lungs nor your intestines.

You won’t freeze to death, because there’s no medium to transport the energy away, so you’ll only lose heat through the actual radiation, which takes pretty long. Much longer than in cold water, anyway.

Also, your blood won’t boil, since it’s protected by the skin. Maybe the exposed areas, your eyes, your saliva.

So, if you survive the initial decompression, your chances aren’t that bad, after all.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

IIRC, the biggest problem in a vacuum is that your lungs work in reverse, expelling oxygen from your bloodstream into the void, so you have about 15 seconds of consciousness with which to panic before you black out.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

That is an unpleasant thought.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Wow thank you for the detailed reply I learned a few new things today!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

This is very informative, thank you.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

So what if we took the ocean, to space? Pressure cancels out, perfect safe.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Haha we'd need ~~a lot more~~ correction: infinity ocean to be able to do that!