According to foreign media reports, as long as the oxygen tank can keep astronauts breathing for a long time, they can survive in the space suit . At present, the two oxygen tanks and emergency oxygen supply system in the extravehicular space suit (EMU) commonly used by astronauts can provide 6.5-8 hours of oxygen supply.
The human mind is bewildered by the intricacies and mystery of the universe, and is committed to uncovering the mysteries, from believing in the theory of flat earth centered on the “geocentric theory” to the shadows of black holes photographed today, to fantasy space elevators and witnessing business. The company executes manned orbital flights. With the development of human technology, we have made great progress in the field of astronomy.
These advances have enabled the dream of human society to expand into space. Although the view of human beings colonizing and expanding into space is still controversial, a question is raised in the process of human exploration of the universe: can human beings survive in space forever?
We should all know that the answer to this question is obvious-humans cannot survive in space forever. But what will happen to us under the protection of a space suit? In the Oscar-winning film “Gravity”, an astronaut wore a spacesuit and struggled in space, and explained in detail how she overcame various difficulties and survived. It is really possible that she can be in the open space just wearing a spacesuit. Survive in space? If so, how long will it last?
What threats will astronauts face in empty space?
Before we answer how long a space suit protects astronauts, we should be aware of the various threats in the universe.
Astronauts entering the empty space will cause fatal damage to the body.
The most obvious feature of the universe is that there is no breathable oxygen. This is the main reason why humans cannot survive in space. The oxygen stored in human blood can only keep people awake for about 15 seconds, after which the oxygen-poor blood is transported to With the brain, people will gradually lose consciousness. However, this situation does not necessarily mean a “death sentence”. If astronauts in a comatose state are pulled back into the oxygen-filled breathing space within 1-2 minutes, they may survive.
At the same time, astronauts holding their breath in space can actually cause faster death, which sounds counterintuitive. The fact is that when air enters the human lungs, it will exert a constant pressure on the lung wall. This pressure is equivalent to the atmospheric pressure on the earth. When we need to inhale and exhale, the fluctuation is very small. There is no atmosphere in space, so there is no atmospheric pressure. Without atmospheric pressure to balance the air pressure inside the human body, our lungs will gradually expand and eventually rupture. The expanding air will rush into the respiratory circulatory system, causing gas embolism. If you hold your breath in an empty space and prevent the rapidly expanding air from leaving your body, it will easily cause your lungs to rupture and accelerate. So, although this sounds ridiculous, when someone is floating in space, the first thing to do is to maintain a normal exhalation.
Ebullism, a form of bubbles in body fluids, is another potentially fatal phenomenon caused by the human body due to the lack of atmospheric pressure.
The boiling point of a liquid refers to the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure around it. Similarly, in the absence of external pressure in space, the boiling point of body fluids (saliva, tears, sweat, etc.) is greatly reduced, so they immediately begin to evaporate. Fortunately, the blood does not boil, because the blood circulation system can maintain blood pressure and prevent it from boiling. However, the nitrogen molecules dissolved in the blood can vaporize, causing the blood circulation tissues to swell, and the body will swell to twice the original amount, causing serious damage to some organs and tissues.
Fortunately, our skin has enough elasticity to allow the body to contain steam to prevent the body from swelling to a certain extent in space. If it returns to normal atmospheric pressure, the swollen body will return to normal.
In addition, astronauts exposed to space will also be exposed to unshielded cosmic radiation and solar wind. In addition to causing fatal sunburns, the human body can also cause damage to human tissues, DNA mutations, increase the probability of cancer and cataracts, and may cause damage. Educate. In addition, there are very fast micrometeoroids and space debris in space that can shoot through the human body like bullets.
Movies and books on space exploration make us generally believe that when the human body is in space, it will freeze immediately, but this is not the case. Although the space is really cold (the specific temperature depends on where you are), it also lacks any form of matter. The only way for heat to leave the body is through radiation (conduction and convection require a medium to transfer heat). Taking into account the speed of heat transfer through radiation, the human body will freeze within 12-20 hours in space.
To sum up, in an empty space, an astronaut without a spacesuit can remain conscious for 15 seconds, survive for 1-2 minutes, then die under the above-mentioned conditions, and eventually freeze his body into a popsicle.
Space suit
When astronauts travel in space, they wear two different types of space suits. The first is a pressure suit, which is worn in the spacecraft when it lifts off and returns to the Earth’s atmosphere. It may happen during a decompression emergency and a landing In any accident, the spacesuit can protect the astronauts; in addition, the astronauts also need to carry oxygen tanks or other cushions to resist space radiation, but it means that these devices cannot make the astronauts survive in space In the end, it can only prevent the lungs from exploding and the body from expanding, but it still cannot change the lack of oxygen. The astronaut will die within a minute or two.
The pressure suit is actually a humanoid garment, consisting of four parts: the upper torso, the lower torso, the cooling suit and the helmet.
The second type of space suit is the extravehicular space suit (EMU). As the name suggests, this space suit is worn during any extravehicular activity, so it is used to protect astronauts from all the above-mentioned threats. For ease of understanding, the extravehicular space suit can be divided into two main parts: pressure suit and life support system.
The pressure suit is actually a humanoid clothing, which is composed of four parts: the upper torso, the lower torso, the cooling suit and the helmet. From the inside out, the astronauts must first wear a cooling suit before going on a random space walk. This cooling suit is It is made of mesh spandex material and covered with 100-meter-long microtubes. In the microtubes, about 4.4-10 degrees Celsius water continuously flows through these microtubes to help dissipate heat.
Next from the inside out is the hard upper torso, which is composed of multiple layers of light-weight glass fiber. A urethane-coated inflatable nylon backing is on the innermost layer to regulate body pressure. Inflatable nylon The outer side of the backing is a polyester suppression layer and a tear-resistant nylon layer. The next 5 layers are polyester film layers, which play the role of maintaining body temperature, and then there are several layers of waterproof and fireproof layers. The outermost layer is a white coating to help reflect sunlight. It consists of 3 different Made of materials. In addition, astronauts also need to put on diapers and wear gloves with heating function to help keep fingers warm, which is convenient for astronauts to operate flexibly.
Life support systems, arms, helmets, display and control modules are all installed on the upper torso of the spacesuit, while the safety tether is connected to the D ring at the lower torso. The waist bearing allows the astronaut’s body to move and rotate freely.
The space helmet is made of sturdy plastic, which is similar to the space suit. It helps provide a pressurized space. Gold-plated goggles and sun visors protect the astronauts from direct sunlight. At the same time, the helmet’s ventilation system is transported from the life support system. For oxygen, cameras and lights are installed on the side of the helmet to record and assist extravehicular activities. A special device composed of headphones and microphones can communicate with the astronaut companions.
For the life support system, this backpack device is an indispensable material for space flight. Without it, the space suit is just a set for the masquerade party. The life support system includes: oxygen tank, carbon dioxide filter, battery, pressure regulator, radio and others Communication equipment, water tanks, pumps, cooling systems, circulating oxygen fans, etc. All electronic and mechanical components in the life support system are controlled by a display control module installed on the upper torso.
The combination of pressure suit and life support system can act as a “single man spacecraft”, allowing astronauts to carry out extraterrestrial surveys or necessary extravehicular maintenance work for the International Space Station.
So, how long can an astronaut survive in a spacesuit?
The multi-layer upper torso and lower torso spacesuit parts can protect astronauts from cosmic radiation and micrometeoroids, and help maintain body temperature and provide a pressurized atmosphere. Just like on the earth, we humans need three basic needs for survival: food, water and oxygen, which are also limiting factors for survival in space.
Since extravehicular activities need to last for several hours, astronauts need to eat food and drink water before performing extravehicular activities. To be cautious, they also need to fill the bag with drinks and attach a fruit stick to the space suit. Astronauts can choose a 0.6-liter or 0.9-liter beverage bag according to their needs. A straw with a valve device is extended from the beverage bag and placed next to the mouth in the helmet. When the astronaut drinks water, the straw valve will automatically open, and the fruit stick is wrapped in edible rice paper and placed in a sleeve near the neck, with the upper end extending near the mouth. Every time an astronaut bites the fruit stick, the fruit stick will be pulled closer to the mouth. The beverage bag and fruit stick are fixed to the upper torso spacesuit with velcro.
For the life support system, this backpack device is an indispensable material for space flight. Without it, the space suit is just a suit for the masquerade party. The life support system includes: oxygen tank, carbon dioxide filter, battery, pressure regulator, no wires and Other communication equipment, water tanks, pumps, cooling systems, circulating oxygen fans, etc.
The two oxygen tanks in the life support system backpack can maintain astronauts’ extravehicular activities for approximately 6.5-8 hours. The specific time varies from person to person and depends on the individual’s body metabolism rate, because each person’s oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production all different. At the same time, the pressure of the extravehicular spacesuit is equivalent to one-third of the earth’s atmospheric pressure, under which air cannot hold enough oxygen. Therefore, the oxygen tank is filled with 100% pure oxygen, and the carbon dioxide filter system is also essential, because it filters the gas exhaled by the human body and helps the unabsorbed oxygen to circulate again. An emergency oxygen bag is attached to the base of the life support system and can provide an additional 30 minutes of oxygen supply.
Therefore, although space threatens human life in many ways, the survival time of astronauts wearing spacesuits depends on the amount of oxygen contained in the spacesuit. At present, the space suit can only provide 6.5-8 hours of space exploration time. If the astronaut wants to continue flying, he needs to return to the spacecraft to replace the oxygen tank. The longest space walk record is Jim Worth and Susan Hull They realized that they spent 8 hours and 56 minutes repairing the International Space Station.
So far, humans have not planned to build futuristic space houses in the empty space, so unless you are an astronaut, you don’t need to worry too much about the details and limitations of the spacesuit. In recent years, scientists have paid close attention to other planets in the solar system. If someone decides to live on an alien planet one day in the future, he should first understand how long you can survive on this mysterious planet? See if these planets are suitable for human survival!
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