What would happen if an astronaut took a glove off in space?
You would expect to get a bad case of frostbite as perspiration instantly turns to ice on her skin. Within a few seconds, the water in the surface skin cells turns to ice crystals and possibly rupture the cell walls. This wave of cell freezing would move deeper into the body until your hand is completely frozen. At about the same time, the gas in the blood stream would start to boil off and rupture the skin all over your body. Nerve cells may continue to function for many seconds after exposure, and record intense pain until they too stopped working. But in seconds, the freezing process would continue beyond your hand and engulf the rest of your body exposed to vacuum. Once this happens, a number of physiological changes happen very quickly, and unconsciousness sets-in after about 30 seconds to one minute. It takes time for gas to pass out from the inside of the body and escape into space. There would be lung damage as the alveoli rupture and fluids and gases flow into the lung cavities. The result? More intense pain, convulsions and unconsciousness. However, and incredibly, it is predicted that even after 30-40 seconds you could be resuscitated!
