O
odimwitdwon
Guest
The "initial" cause of death? You mean the proximate cause of death?
Actually, circum-solar space is extremely hot. OTOH The cosmic microwave background is established at 2.7° K or - 454°F (-270°C) which is the "average" temperature of space, and very very cold.
Hot or cold, unless you're very close to the Sun (or some other radiation source) you won't die from burning. If you were pushed out of an airlock on the moon the temperature there is 250°F (120 C) in the daytime and -370 F at night. Thats why spacesuits are metalized - to reflect the light and keep the occupant cool...And with little atmosphere to conduct heat you don't cool off rapidly at night. (Take a look at spacesuit boots - do they look insulated to you?
So space "around here" is very "hot" but you won't notice that because the hot gasses are at such a low concentration that they aren't a serious threat - short term.
Similarly, the low pressure would not be the major threat, short term. (but it sure wouldn't be good for you!
Lack of oxygen? Duh. You'd be dead in minutes.
I believe the argument would be that if you were not in direct sun-light that you would radiate more heat than you gained from the few supoer hot gas molecules hitting you and so would cool down and eventually freeze. Yeah, but that would take a very long time. Homeostasis, don't you know.
Anyway, the proximate cause of death would be asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen. Your body can protect you temporarily from the lack of pressure and the temperatures (remember, in space there isn't much to conduct heat - so heating is almost exclusively from radiation (light). It would take quite a while to heat up or cool down from light but if nothing else killed you, that would.
So, the answer is no doubt number one killer is zero oxygen - unless you're really close to the sun.
Actually, circum-solar space is extremely hot. OTOH The cosmic microwave background is established at 2.7° K or - 454°F (-270°C) which is the "average" temperature of space, and very very cold.
Hot or cold, unless you're very close to the Sun (or some other radiation source) you won't die from burning. If you were pushed out of an airlock on the moon the temperature there is 250°F (120 C) in the daytime and -370 F at night. Thats why spacesuits are metalized - to reflect the light and keep the occupant cool...And with little atmosphere to conduct heat you don't cool off rapidly at night. (Take a look at spacesuit boots - do they look insulated to you?
So space "around here" is very "hot" but you won't notice that because the hot gasses are at such a low concentration that they aren't a serious threat - short term.
Similarly, the low pressure would not be the major threat, short term. (but it sure wouldn't be good for you!
Lack of oxygen? Duh. You'd be dead in minutes.
I believe the argument would be that if you were not in direct sun-light that you would radiate more heat than you gained from the few supoer hot gas molecules hitting you and so would cool down and eventually freeze. Yeah, but that would take a very long time. Homeostasis, don't you know.
Anyway, the proximate cause of death would be asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen. Your body can protect you temporarily from the lack of pressure and the temperatures (remember, in space there isn't much to conduct heat - so heating is almost exclusively from radiation (light). It would take quite a while to heat up or cool down from light but if nothing else killed you, that would.
So, the answer is no doubt number one killer is zero oxygen - unless you're really close to the sun.