Science of The Expanse - Could you Survive the Vacuum of Space?

The vacuum of space is no place for a human without a suit, but would it kill you immediately?
#Season5 #TheExpanse #spaced

[@ViraL_FootprinT.ex.e]

It is going to be slightly harder for me to enjoy classic space shows and movies after getting hooked on _The Expanse_

[@Oi....]

Yeah, it's so good it kinda nulifies all space shows as fantasy! The Expance is like a documentary of the future of space travel.

[@liamconverse8950]

It's impossible for a vacuum to exist next to an atmosphere without a barrier

[@seanholm8957]

@@liamconverse8950 a vacuum is just a lack of atmosphere. the air would expand to fill the vacuum or keep expanding unit ll it dissipates if its in space

[@liamconverse8950]

@@seanholm8957 If space is so vast there would be enough vacuum force to suck out the atmosphere of the Earth

[@seanholm8957]

@@liamconverse8950 A vacuum isn’t some magical pulling force, Its just the abscence of a force counteracting a gas pressure. The gravity of earth pulls the atmosphere towards it, balancing the pressure.

[@Voyager2525]

A couple of other details: 1. Naomi hyper-ventilates before she opens the airlock to add oxygen to her blood. 2. Her eyes are becoming bloodshot from the capillaries breaking due to the pressure difference. 3. Her face swells up due to the pressure difference (you can especially see it around her eyes).

[@RyanRidden]

Great points! They really put a lot of details into this scene.

[@rabid_si]

Hyperventilation does not increase oxygen saturation (which is typically in the high 90s percentage wise just breathing normally). It decreases the amount of CO2 by expelling it more quickly than it can be produced as a waste product. This common misconception leads to some confused (and sometimes fatal) accidents in the diving world where inexperienced divers/swimmers hyperventilate before a dive to try and hold their breath longer. What actually happens is that the artificial lack of CO2 actually suppresses the involuntary mechanisms that make you feel the need to breathe, leading to loss of consciousness without ever feeling out of breath. Even thinking about it for a moment wouldn't pass muster... everyone knows that hyperventilation is not a good sign, or is familiar with the concept of panicked people hyperventilating and passing out.

[@Voyager2525]

@@rabid_si Thank you, did not know that!

[@somefuckstolemynick]

@@rabid_si though if you have to hold your breath for fixed time or distance (as in the show), hyperventilating could suppress panic (by making you “feel” like you can hold your breath longer). Since panic increases oxygen consumption, in this specific scenario I argue that it actually is a good idea.

[@davyc412]

Not just her face. Her hands swell up. But it doesn't happen right away. Over the next ten minutes or so after she regains consciousness her hands swell more and more every time you see them

[@advolf]

She only survived because i held my breath for her the entire scene. They really did amazing job. Best hard scifi show really.

[@whakjob]

omg! me too

[@Powerhaus88]

held*

[@advolf]

@@Powerhaus88 thanks

[@Eremon1]

The Expanse gets most of the science right. It's actually quite refreshing to get a more accurate sense of what it might be like to be in those kinds of situations like travelling through space, etc. They've put a lot of thought into the small details that help immerse the viewer into what is happening on screen.

[@RyanRidden]

I certainly hope the success of the Expanse sparks more shows like it!

[@nilesbutler8638]

Eh, I´ve been a little dissapointed how they regularly portray gravity aside from some outstanding examples (Josephus pet bird flying in SloMo, Christians Magboot-training, Alex´s playing with softdrinks around Ganymede ect, those where done well). Most time on ships it would be micro- or zero gravity, yet the people very clearly walk around as in G1, using ladders instead of diving down/up stairwells, or jumping/flying down corridors. Or Luna - wasnt I dissapointed not to see the personell on Luna (probably mostly terrans) skipping along the corridors in multi-meter strides, jumping from level balcony to level balcony in the big hub-hall portrayed ect. I get that all that is hard to do (stuntlines, probly) and not that important in most scenes, and that in fact they did do several scenes where they highlighted correct circumstances very well. And I do love the show nonetheless. But a constant gravitational counselor for some background-easter eggs would have been nice - people on the docks shoving around whole TFUs, people in low-G brawling scenes, swaying around fixed to their magboots like reeds in strong wind when punched, people getting shot in boarding scenes being thrown away by the kinetic energy of the bullets .... Its like the gravitational stuff only matters when the showrunners push it to the front of the stage to remind the audience "hey- thats still relevant" while ignoring it most of the other time.

[@Smoke_Snake]

@@nilesbutler8638 I sort of agree with you. I think it would be great if gravity would be treated as a relevant factor in every situation, but they treat gravity a bit like a character. It is portrayed well when it is relevant for the story, and they just stick it in the background smiling awkwardly when it does not really matter... But I really can't imagine the effort it would need to make it properly. :)

[@nilesbutler8638]

@@Smoke_Snake Very well put, that comparison to a character! And yes, doing it the way I wished it was done would probably be immensely costly - and its not like the show isnt quite expensive already. Still a massive moneymaker, though, if rumors are to believed.

[@talarion997]

@@nilesbutler8638 ships are in constant thrust at around 1g when traveling, there should be gravity in there. That's reinforced both in the books and in the show a lot of times. In fact, when they do "hard burns" way above 1g they need to strap on and use the "juice" (some chemicals of some sort) to be able to sustain that much G forces. I agree Luna is kinda disappointing but they try to show the gravity difference when poring liquids, I figure it's hard and expensive to simulate low gravity constantly so they just give us a few reminders every now and then.

[@gus.smedstad]

The “air in lungs” issue is something that’s taught routinely in SCUBA training. If you’re doing an emergency ascent, you need to exhale continuously to avoid lung damage. If you’re down at 90 feet (30 meters), the air in your lungs is at 4 atmospheres of pressure, and returning to the surface too quickly can lead to catastrophic damage.

[@dogwalker666]

Indeed.

[@MikinessAnalog]

Or at the very least, some serious bends. I've been told that is extremely excruciating pain, especially in your joints.

[@dogwalker666]

@@MikinessAnalog I had an extremely mild case excruciating pain and vomiting for 2 days and that was from bad training then being on a flight that had to do an emergency landing.

[@MikinessAnalog]

@@dogwalker666 WOW, talk about bad timing.

[@RyanRidden]

I didn't know that, thanks!

[@tfcooks]

In the episode "Rock Bottom". Uncle Mateo opens his helmet in vacuum briefly to fix a faulty wire inside. Real badass belter action there. He also exhales while doing it.

[@RyanRidden]

I don't remember this, clearly I need to watch through the series again!

[@tfcooks]

@@RyanRidden This is the short clip. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5rChXiYrsx2mpI

[@sisu9663]

I loved that scene. A brief exposition of the perilous working conditions in the belt (and how badass belters are)

[@adamrak7560]

​@@sisu9663 this is exactly how badass miners are on Earth, I heard first hand stories from a miner. So it is quite believable. (Their job is so dangerous, that opening their helmets for a short time is actually pretty safe in comparison)

[@sisu9663]

@@adamrak7560 Very true, there are lots of similarities between belters and frontier works throughout history. In a way, opening your helmet isn't really that risky because you just have to remember to exhale even though you're willfully exposing yourself to deadly conditions. It reminds me of the people who built bridges and skyscrapers, sitting on an I-beam eating lunch a thousand feet off the ground.

[@hinder90]

Beltalowda born fo space, ke?

[@ojvera76]

oye

[@Kentey7]

Only inna's and welwallah die on da float!

[@andyrandy0815]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@drummergod2006]

Silly inyalowda.

[@GeoscienceImaging]

This show is so good!! Naomi's arc has been some great story-telling. Her first time walking on a real planet in season 4 was breath-taking, and her stupidly-daring escape from Marco in this episode was insanely good.

[@wendypierce5621]

Great video. So, it’s in the survivable but crazy dangerous category. This means it’ll be an extreme sport in the 2100’s.

[@RyanRidden]

People would definitely compete for longest space dives!

[@PaddyPatrone]

@@RyanRidden I would watch that

[@escott1981]

@@RyanRidden Concidering how horrible F'd up Naomi was after her "space walk" I doubt that anyone would really wanna do that. But there are some insane people out there and this is more of a psychological/sociological problem than a physical problem.

[@MikinessAnalog]

@@RyanRidden I do not see any medical professionals sanctioning that any time soon LOL.

[@yoolec]

Just read Ian McDonald's 'Luna: New Moon'.

[@PaddyPatrone]

thats why the expanse is my fav sify show

[@MikeAben]

I actually think the next episode is even more exciting as Naomi not only has to deal with the physical toll on her, but being in a ship with no life support and a suit without an air supply with maintenace panels in a section of the ship in vacuum. This show keeps giving!

[@RyanRidden]

Things really aren't getting easier for her!

[@Tom-bm2kt]

The next episode did not disappoint. I had a Phantom Menace flashback when that rocket blasted off and toasted the bruhs running away.

[@abbaszaidi8371]

“I am in..........control..”

[@hughgrection7246]

Yey a whole fn hour of her fake crying and crappy pain acting . Whooo ! . Worst character in the show.

[@Tom-bm2kt]

@@hughgrection7246 Erich would say, "FUCK THAT!"

[@myplane150]

So, the scene in Event Horizon when Lawerance Fishburn's character tells the guy who is about to eject himself into space to exhale is accurate. Cool.

[@DaxRaider]

my problem never was she making it, but the old guy basicly insta died ... if he exhale he should be able to close the door in under 5-10 seconds so i wonder why he didnt made it

[@charlessmith4487]

Probably because he was not prepared for it at all like she was. She was hyperventilating to expell her CO2 and everything and he didn't have time to do so himself

[@UnsaltedCashew38]

yeah that was dumb

[@DanielSabelnikov1]

I would imagine for belters that should be a reflex to reach for emergency airlock shutting button (which, by common sense, should be in every airlock). My theory is that Cyn was ready to die with Naomi as he still feels guilty for what he done to her.

[@UnsaltedCashew38]

@@DanielSabelnikov1 I don't like how Naomi didn't care if he died, she was so heartless in that moment. Cyn was also so overridden with guilt that even after being hit with a wrench he wanted to help her. Bro, take a hint!

[@AtomicPunx]

lol You think it is possible?

[@opusmaximum]

Actually even the accuracy of her jump makes sense, because she is a belter! She has learned how to move in low gravity and microgravity since she was born.

[@kenypowa]

The author also pointed out Naomi's tethered jump to rescue Lucia in S4 is a more difficult jump as Lucia was a moving, tumbling target at a much greater distance.

[@BernardLangham]

you can try the equivalent of that jump in the VR zero-g space game Lone Echo. let's just say it would be... very challenging. there's nothing quite like the sinking sensation of floating gently past a finger's breadth away from the handhold that spells the difference between life and death.

[@slicedpage]

@@BernardLangham been there done that! scareeeee

[@ScottWilliamDunn]

In the books, she actually misses the door and bounces off the ship, then takes off her shoe and throws it for ejection mass to push her into the airlock.

[@emilioteran7867]

@@ScottWilliamDunn that would've been awesome to see in the series

[@egirlSkeletor]

This scene is about 10x more intense in the books and I was so excited to see how the show handled it.

[@chimpdongs]

In SCUBA the same principle applies when making an emergency ascent, a CESA. You don't hold your breath because you'd rupture your lungs and hit the surface a corpse. You exhale at a slow and steady pace, so as the pressurised gas from your canisters expands as the pressure decreases during your ascent, its free to leave your lungs rather than rupture them. Its such an important and well understood point that in PADI schools you are supposed to hum whilst you do it so the instructors know for certain you are exhaling, and they will fail you if you don't.

[@CoolWorldsLab]

Not only great astro vids but impressive balloon skills to boot ;-)

[@RyanRidden]

I missed my calling for clown college!

[@williamgorham7339]

This guys channel must have been recommended to me because of my addiction to Cool Worlds and I like this new channel as well!

[@RyanRidden]

@@williamgorham7339 I'm glad you like it! There are a lot of Cool Worlds people here!

[@williamgorham7339]

@@RyanRidden I hope your channel continues to do well and I hope we all can continue to enjoy the most scientifically accurate science fiction show out there for more the 6 planned seasons.

[@annoyed707]

Backup gig at the carnival, if he ever needs to run away and join the circus.

[@dapeach06]

I am excited to see what effects they show her having next episode. In the books, she has a bad case of pneumonia, and it's dealing with the effects of the radiation burns, not to mention dehydration, and is concerned about her cardiovascular health. But doesn't have time to focus on any of it, as she is trying to escape

[@RyanRidden]

She's really having quite a bad day. It really will be interesting to see how much they play on the after effects.

[@dapeach06]

@@RyanRidden well, what did you think? She had terrible swelling all over her body, especially the extremities, was coughing up fluid from her lungs, had radiation burns, etc.

[@RyanRidden]

It looked pretty accurate to me! It definitely looks like they won't be shying away from the consequences of that space walk. I really appreciated the attention they gave to her hands being really damaged. It certainly wouldn't feel good to inflate them, and then try to force things open.

[@rolypoly4920]

I haven't read the books yet. Does her being a Belter help her at all? I imagine they could survive vacuum a little better since they probably grow up with less oxygen/lower atmo pressures than humans are used to on Earth. Maybe good enough to give her an extra couple seconds of consciousness?

[@dapeach06]

@@rolypoly4920 no, the only thing that being used to lower oxygen concentration or lower pressure would help with is how long she would stay conscious without the injection, and it would probably make about a seconds worth of difference at most. And I am not an expert on epigenetics, but I believe belters haven't existed long enough (less than 150 years) for them to have widespread tolerance to lower oxygen levels, we saw in the Anderson station episode that the Belter children have a disease caused by the lower oxygen content on the station. The people who would have the kinds of adaptations you're talking about would be people on Earth who live at high elevation and have done for many, many centuries/millennia.

[@johncurtis920]

For a Sci-Fi geek I can only say that The Expanse is an extraordinarily well done "space opera." I don't think anyone has ever seen anything quite like it. The entire cast, and complement of folks designing and implementing the entirety of it deserve kudo's for a job very well done. John~ American Net'Zen

[@josephn8036]

The expanse is by far my favorite space show.

[@minervaho6439]

Thanks for explaining that scene in the Expanse, and why it was theoretically possible for Naomi to survive the jump! As a non scientific person who appreciates scientific things (and was quite puzzled) your video was easy to understand, and I can tell how much you like the subject, so it was not just informative, but fun to watch.

[@panan7777]

Physics is ALWAYS easy to understand IF the lecturer REALLY understands it. Forget about the school teachers; I can kill them with a few questions. Google: how far can you raise the water VS how deep can the well be, to still be able to pump the water. Hint; boiling water in high mountains.... Then ask physics teacher.

[@peterk7428]

The movie 'Event Horizon' has an excellent spacing/survival scene. Lawrence Fishburne's character even warns the kid to blow all the air out of his longs.

[@Baboonery_]

exactly what i had thought of, too.

[@FabioRBelotto]

That movie is great too

[@woodrunner51]

the only incredible part-her managing to hit that door

[@Izzboticus]

Well, the door was right outside the airlock before undocking, so it's the point that's literally closest.

[@Justanotherconsumer]

Alex made a similar jump recently to get back to the Screaming Firehawk. He had a suit, but aiming the jump was the same challenge.

[@jonathanborger5942]

The books are quite detailed about the amazing skills of people that grew up without constant gravity. It is native to them to maneuver themselves around without gravity. And if I remember correctly, Naomi is also described as very talented. So maybe it is actually not that hard for her. And definitely much easier as the similar jump for Alex.

[@Czeckie]

I think there's some in universe explanation for her great aiming: belters are really good at being in zero g, she has developed the eye-body coordination needed for this jump. But I guess even with that in mind the odds were not in her favor.

[@matthewowen7330]

As a belter, she is more experienced with zero-gravity maneuvering than anyone born on earth. So, if anyone could pull this off....

[@btchpants]

The sun is a deadly laser!

[@rockbore]

Such a simple point, very succintly put. How is it possible to overlook? And yet, it goes unmentioned almost without fail in these discussions of space habitability, or survivability. Every manned space mission was equipped with some form of sunshade, with the exception of Apollo. Skylab almost faced being aborted on the first orbit because the shade refused to deploy. The ISS has it's solar arrays to shield behind. But Apollo forgot about the sun.

[@milo655321]

@@rockbore "The sun is a deadly laser!" was also a cheeky reference to the KZbin video "History of the World, I Guess" by Bill Wurtz.

[@SapSapient]

I can't see those words without hearing the "musical" presentation of Bill Wurtz.

[@VOLKOV9]

Pretty sure it's spelled lazer. The Z stands for shazam.

[@RyanRidden]

@@SapSapient Bill's melodic voice is laser etched into my brain!

[@koofoo7793]

Dang Bro, you are in the club of "looking 14 and 40 simultaneously" together with Gus Johnson! Respect and nice video and narration style

[@Mars-di6rr]

When I read this scene in the book I was so excited to see it on screen, I was no disappointed.

[@BobMcCranie]

Just discovered your channel. Love it. Expanse is a great show and I've really appreciated how they deal with the science of space. Ships don't move like they're flying, they "turn & burn" for example. People from the Belt can't deal with gravity. It's all very different from Star Trek for example (which I also love dearly). Thanks for explaining that scene. We have sat around questioning how it could be possible.

[@RyanRidden]

Its certainly refreshing to see a show deal with space using technology similar to what we have now!

[@maanvis81]

Thanks for the clear explanation! I always wondered whether Naomi could've survived this if this were real, and now I have an answer :)

[@RyanRidden]

I'm always happy to help give answers!

[@merlin51h84]

Just have to admit that when I watched this scene I thought that was not possible. However, in my search for a review of the episode I found this brilliant video. Thanks for explaining this and demonstrating it is possible. So assuming there was a sun in the vicinity and her leap of faith was 100% on target, I'll accept it.

[@moebel303]

That leap would have been impossible thou. The air blowing out the airlock would completely blow her off course, even if should could calculate the right intercept vector accurate, which is insane.

[@countgeekula3046]

@@moebel303 I don't think the air would be much of a problem, the bit of air would spread in the vacuum in a mere moment without much notice and the airlock was already open for a second or two when she used her leg to push herself away from the ship.

[@hunteriv4869]

@@moebel303 She's a belter and has been moving around in zero g literally from childhood. She's probably better at eyeballing intercepts than walking in higher gravity. The air from the airlock is irrelevant; if you watch the scene you notice that neither of them are blown out when the airlock is opened, because airlocks in The Expanse don't just eject the air outside (which is a bad idea, especially for long range ships), but instead pumps it out of the airlock into tanks for reuse. The reason the other guy was moving outward (slowly) is because he started moving towards Naomi right before she opened the airlock, not due to air movement. Otherwise *everyone* would get blown outside every time an airlock opened. It's completely plausible that she could do this, especially after we saw her jump out and rescue another character (while tethered) in the previous season, which is a much more challenging intercept.

[@inside98]

Man, I remember being yelled at by all of reddit for pointing stuff like that out. Best of luck.

[@MikinessAnalog]

Reddit is almost like Facebook, but dressed in black XD

[@megapro125]

well it's reddit what did you expect?

[@Zero11s]

they are just defending their fantasy (the black world with balls)

[@petrthingsilike8487]

Great video! I love that TV show. One of the best “sic-fi” series technologically and politically. One thing that occurred to me as super realistic is how the space ships are “slowing down”. Rather then using small engines to work against the main engine, they flip the ship 180 degrees and literally going backwards to the destination using the main engine to slow down. Which is far more efficient. And makes total sense.

[@piotrprs572]

This is LITERALLY 1st proper explanation about 'human in space' that I saw in years. GOOD JOB.

[@seycheles27]

Holy shit. Thanks you made me love that series more. It's the attention to details like that that makes a series.

[@West_Anderson]

Wow, it's stuff like this that just makes me appreciate and love The Expanse so much.

[@MeganReinking]

Thank you for making this! This is my favorite show and we were JUST wondering how accurate this moment was! I’d love more Expanse science videos! Or any videos breaking down science accuracies/inaccuracies in pop culture! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Great work!

[@RyanRidden]

More Expanse videos are on the way!

[@MeganReinking]

@@RyanRidden yesssssssss! I'm sharing these with all my Expanse-fan friends! They are loving them, too!

[@solstice2318]

I just love the KZbin algorithm. To boldly explore strange new channels.

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

Same as coming up from diving in water. You breath out. A breath out that seems to go on forever.

[@MikinessAnalog]

I bet that feels weird LOL

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

@@MikinessAnalog It really really does. You just breath out and keep breathing out as you come up. It just keeps going. If you tried to hold your breath I suspect you would be forced to breath out but I wouldn't recommend trying.

[@MikinessAnalog]

@@williamvorkosigan5151 But in that environment, getting rid of CO2 is more important than getting O2. That is what makes me tired when biking. If I concentrate on exhaling more than inhaling I can go a bit further.

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

@@MikinessAnalog Interesting.

[@SangTheCryptek]

The bit about how body heat is primarily lost because of physical contact with the molecules of our atmosphere...that was truly new to me.

[@darransmith32]

That's why vacuum flasks keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold i guess....

[@brownro214]

Loss of heat by radiation versus loss by convection?

[@mckenziekeith7434]

Radiation heat loss to the night sky can be very significant, too. He is downplaying this. But it is important. The black-body temperature of space is close to absolute zero. So if no sun is on you, you will be radiating into absolute zero (almost).

[@patrickasplund]

The greatest smost underrated scifi show EVER. How can everyone whos ever watched it- raves about its quality, story and real world physics, but its barely watched?

[@unamericano]

THANK you for this! I remember watching it the first time and gasping it's one of the most impressive things I've seen a character do in any show ever within it's own context.

[@OverlordVII2]

why is no one talking about the fact that the moment the airlock was opened they would have been sucked out the ship, instead they are literally unaffected by this huge pressure change?

[@adamrak7560]

That was completely realistic. It is another misconception that vacuum sucks everything out. It does create significant wind during decompression, BUT the volume of the air in the airlock was relatively small, compared to the area of the door. And the area of the door was comparable large to the area of the humans standing in front of it. So very little force was exerted by the wind on their bodies for very little time. (by the time the wind could accelerate the pressure would drop to a fraction, so the wind would weaken instantly) It would different if you decompress the entire spacecraft through a single airlock. The volume of the air would be significantly higher and the wind would blow at higher pressures much longer. That could blow a person out, if they are not using magnetic shoes.

[@BigSpoonFace]

Thank you so much for explaining this is such an understandable and comprehendible way. When I watched this scene I immediately searched google for a simple explanation as to what happens in this scenario and it was literally no help! You've just gained a subscriber!

[@RyanRidden]

Glad I could help explain it!

[@silviomanuel473]

Thanks a lot, man! Really, this has been a question for me for a long time, because I've seen different variants of unprotected spacewalk in movies, series, read in books, etc. Wasn't enough interested to check until I saw the Expanse, but now I get it. Looking forward to see more from you!

[@yourenotcute]

Great video. So in a nutshell, with a sci-fi oxygen injection, survival is possible for 90s but it’s probably impossible to launch yourself accurately enough to hit an airlock and you’d have radiation burns and need to be put into a decompression chamber afterwards.

[@johnandrewfredrickson]

Love this video! Thanks for sharing your expertise on this topic Ryan. Gonna have to check out the rest of your videos now too!

[@ResoluteDeicide]

Holy hell, how is your channel not more popular?! And how the hell is this the first time I've seen any of your videos! Amazing content man, it is clear you've got a totally underrated channel. Subbed!

[@RyanRidden]

Thanks, I really appreciate it! Let me know if there is anything you want a friendly astrophysicist to explain!

[@ResoluteDeicide]

@@RyanRidden Thank you! Im definitely going to take you up on that. :) And now that you mention it, I would personally love to see another video on superluminal space travel. More specifically, exploring how the technology of warping gravity would change things like human culture, human evolution, or other results of humanity holding the power to go virtually anywhere in the universe. Or what i think could be even more interesting is exploring this idea with the Drake equation in mind: given the statistical likelihood of the existence of at least dozens of advanced civilizations between Andromeda and the milky way, (many of which could be millions of years older than us) if a Warp Drive is possible, some of them would have found it. If that were the case, these civilizations will likely have found us by now, and not the other way around. If an advanced civilization found us, what would they do? Would they land in a stadium on live TV to say hello? Would such a civilization logically have any motive to attack us? Or might an advanced civilization simply observe us and collect data like we already do with wild life reservations, aquariums, and even our own primitive human tribes in the Amazon and the like? Sorry for the thesis paper, lol. I've just been thinking about that Aurthur C Clarke quote that the two possibilities of either being alone in the universe or not are equally terrifying. But I think he was wrong. Because if we are indeed alone in such a vast universe, it means there is something very wrong with this universe that gives us a statistical survivability of zero.

[@aajiv1748]

If one times Dave's reentry into the Discovery emergency airlock in 2001 it is about 15 seconds.

[@adamrak7560]

That is on the upper limit of useful consciousness in vacuum without any extra aid. When I first watched it, it felt like minutes.

[@o5unclebob]

Really wrong is the moment when door opens. Pressure would eject Naomi really fast, but in the video nothing happens!

[@eugeneshis]

Only if the airlock is pressurized inside

[@o5unclebob]

@@eugeneshis If is not, then she was more then 15 sec. without air.

[@cpuuk]

In space, no one can hear you nitpick :-)

[@kassistwisted]

Thank you, Dr. Ridden. This was wonderful. Liked and subscribed! Bravo.

[@AkulaSpawn]

She would need medical assistance on the other side immediately. There is a good chance the many cells in her body have ruptured, especially in her lungs, from all the out gassing of her blood. She would no doubt have the bends after. Deep space is the most perfect vacuum there is, we cannot even simulate it on earth. It will be interesting to see how she is portrayed after this jump.

[@dapeach06]

If they keep it true to the books, she's gonna have bad pneumonia, radiation burns, burst capillaries everywhere, etc

[@RyanRidden]

Naomi may have survived, but it's not going to be fun recovering from everything!

[@kjellvb1979]

@@RyanRidden Granted the NASA guy didn't have to deal with radiation or other things like heat from the sun, but he was surprised to find he wasn't as badly injured as one would think. I bet you saw it already if you used that clip in your video, but there is a good interview with the man, Jim LeBlanc. I will provide the link, not really for you but for anyone interested. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYCbfWyqgLdnebs

[@frogbutts3628]

@@kjellvb1979 the guy wasn't even subjected to a super strong vacuum, at least compared to space. They were still evacuating the air.

[@tedarcher9120]

@@frogbutts3628 the difference between 1 atm and 0.1 atm is very small compared to 1 atm and 0.0001 atm

[@UnsaltedCashew38]

Scott Kelly answers this question in the Wired auto-complete video. He said our body cannot survive in a vacuum, without a spacesuit the lungs would deflate instantly and liquids would exit our body. Also it's incredibly cold, more than -270C. Hypothermia would freeze eyeballs and skin within seconds. For comparison, liquid nitrogen is -197C and is incredibly dangerous to touch.

[@BamBamGT1]

So pretty much exactly the opposite of what probably most people would assume, which is "hold your breath and don't freeze to death"

[@maximiliandort3489]

really like your mellow, ELI5 style of explaining the scene. cool stuff

[@bikebudha01]

I so wanted to know all this when I watched the episode! Thanks for posting!

[@theOrionsarms]

I read that after two minutes of exposure to vacuum the blood inside of the blood vessel starts to boiling (and rip off your veins) , witch happens short time after word war two with a person that wants to know how much low pressure a human can resist if he breath pure oxygen, the issue is that doesn't matter that you have a breathing mask if you are in a environment where the boiling point of the water is the same as your body temperature your blood would boil!

[@RyanRidden]

It's definitely not something you would want to do often!

[@theOrionsarms]

@@RyanRidden the point is that the reason why astronauts wear a pressure suit, not only a breathing mask with a pressure gases canister like scuba divers or early airplane pilots is that low pressure would kill you, even if you protect your lung and have oxygen in your blood, is a well known problem in the space medicine and very high attitude flights (over 19 km).

[@KimiAvary]

Thank you! What an informative video! I love the show and love that it attempts at being accurate with details. Makes me love it more!

[@-C.S.R]

I know astronauts have to stay with their space suit on for like two hours before they can even go outside because it’s different pressure they got to get used to right? Somebody said it’s like the opposite of when you go deep underneath the ocean and you have to decompress before coming up. Astronauts have to do the exact same thing but before they go outside. In the movies they just put on the suit and go right on out.

[@williamgorham7339]

I loved that scene as well because of how accurate it was to the actual affects that the human body would face in space. Ps I just a decal for my car in today that says “Beltalowda”. I also love how the show does not hand wave away key laws of physics such as inertia or gravity. Keep up the great content buddy!

[@Combat.Wombat.official]

I take comfort knowing that I'd only have to wait 15 seconds until it's over

[@Games-tt9hu]

No you wouldn't. I doubt anybody would take comfort in being suddenly confronted with dying within seconds. That what your mind uses panic and despair for.

[@RyanRidden]

In the books Naomi feels at peace accepting she will probably die, so she probably shares your sentiment!

[@Combat.Wombat.official]

@@Games-tt9hu I remember 1 motorcycle crash I was airborn for about 40 seconds, flying down a hill at 200km/h, I was pretty sure it was the end and I had no regrets. But everyone is different, so to my point, that you clearly avoided, would you, with your regrets and fear of dying (which is holding you back, forgive or make good your regrets, and learn to deal with your self), so with your fears and regrets, would you rather die in 15 seconds, or be pinned under a rock in a cave for 15 days? Would you personally, rather 15 seconds, or have an animal tear you apart, eat what it wants, and leave you to bleed out in 15 hours? Would you, with your enormous mind, rather 15 seconds, or get shout in the lower lung with a small caliber, each breath letting a little more fluid into your lung cavity, slowly making it harder and harder to breath, killing you over 15 minutes? If you answered anything other then 15 seconds to any of those, you have some high false hopes, or some serious life decisions you need to make right.

[@eyesofstatic9641]

@@Combat.Wombat.official gimme that 15 second space death!

[@Selemene96]

Gosh, it's so nice to listen to you whilst you explain all the stuff that's happening on it and discussing whether it's plausible from the scientific point or not. Do you plan on ever going back in episodes, and making videos about stuff happening out there?

[@ScienceViking]

In the book she suffers very badly from her spacewalk for a long time afterwards from all the things you mentioned. It's one if my favourite series.

[@Delenda_Est]

Was her jump in the book as far as it was in the show? Naomi making that distance was too unrealistic for me...

[@FevnorTheWolf]

@@Delenda_Est It seemed alot longer in the book because in the book there is alot of internal monologue from her.

[@TheNorthPace]

Fascinating. I often wondered about this and this question was never stronger than when I watched this scene. Thank you for space walking us through this. :)

[@tonivicente4788]

i was really disappointed when i saw that scene thinking that it wasn´t possible... now thanks to you i´ve recovered my faith in the show!!! thank you mate, i apreciate it.

[@RyanRidden]

Glad I could help!

[@remo8938]

Wow! Thank you for the education. Reasons why I Love The Expanse.

[@RyanRidden]

There certainly are a lot of reasons to love it!

[@sepulture777]

the thinking ahead with the "hyperoxinated blood", is in a culture based in space a thing you'd probably teach your children from the get go and surely before you see them have their first space walk. And hyperventilating to lower your CO2 might be dangerous while diving but will give you an edge on such a stunt because it helps you focus on the task because death is immanent. You can't just surface, so your body telling you, that you gonna need oxygen is an undisired impulse imho

[@RyanRidden]

Great point, to a culture immersed in the vacuum these precautions must be second nature!

[@dasanch84]

THANK YOU!!!!! After I watched it, I needed someone to make this.

[@jimleask5595]

Without a doubt The Expanse is one of the best shows ever made

[@uasiddiq]

Thanks for explaining that so well. Much appreciated 😊

[@RyanRidden]

Glad it made sense!

[@PaulColclough47]

Brilliant video. Clean presentation and not a moment of wasted time. Really professional looking. Wasn't expecting the Dunkey reference though!

[@RyanRidden]

I can't always be serious!

[@Judgewrath1]

One comment regarding pressure differentials. The assumption is that the belter ship is maintaining 1 atmosphere of pressure. It's possible, if not likely, that they are not maintaining 14.6 psi. Belters have adapted to use less O2, either through evolution or through body adaptation. It's even mentioned in the episode CQB that Belters use the least O2. Low pressure high oxygen environments were used in the American space program in the past for the mercury and gemini missions, as well as initially for the Apollo program.

[@ch4mb3rl41n]

Thank you for this explanation. That is remarkable how you explained this. And the details which the expanse put into this makes it to my favourite SCI-FI show ever.

[@garlandremingtoniii4679]

You did an absolutely unbelievable OUTSTANDING JOB!!! On explaining absolutely everything!! Thank you so much ☺️ Bravo 🙌 Bravo 👏 Bravo 🙌

[@donaldgrant9067]

If I ever try to jump into space, hold me back. Better yet you won't catch me in space. LOL

[@tmhwriter]

I have never enjoyed taking deep breaths as much as I did during this video. Made me appreciate Earth's beautiful atmosphere.

[@admiralbees1690]

Whilst not a very likely situation to find myself in (Vogon Constructor Fleets not withstanding), its good to know what your best chance is.

[@RyanRidden]

If you remember your towel and to not hold your breath in vacuum, you'll be fine!

[@admiralbees1690]

@@RyanRidden I wondered though, would you even be able to try and hold your breath sufficiently to pop your lungs? Or would the air force its way out through the path of least resistance, your existing airway?

[@Marvin_R]

@@admiralbees1690 either way, it would be pretty bad for your lungs. just coughing can already hurt quite a bit, now imagine being forced to cough out all the air in both lungs in 1 go.

[@admiralbees1690]

@@Marvin_R Good point, but I think I'd take it over actually going pop. However it goes, I think we can agree you are in for a bad day.

[@moebel303]

You should check in your local public road planning office, if there are any plans for an interstellar highway. Those vogons might show up any day...

[@jbug1979]

wasn't specifically looking for this, but glad i found it. thank you for the explanation. wasn't really buying her survival, but i guess it actually is possible!

[@rattlhed1]

Best show on TV! Thanks for this awesome breakdown.

[@veralenora7368]

There's a series of scifi short stories that deal with a space freighter pilot and her husband a genius mathematician. Yeah, in one story they have to escape another ship and jump vacuum to her ship. It turns out, anyone who goes into space is required to take deep hypnotic training to survive vacuum. A special whistle tone (which all ships pilots must carry) sets off a series of hypnotically ingrained responses. Hyperventilating. Eyes closed (to protect the eyeballs) but open in fast fast moments so a person can stay orientated. A bunch of other installed reflexes which I don't remember. Sorry, I can't remember the title or author. It's a very cool idea, mandatory hypnotic vacuum response survival training.

[@YoSpiff]

Thanks for that explanation. I didn't know what the syringe was when I watched the episode. Makes a lot of sense now.

[@fried_funk]

Thank you doc ! The Expanse is such a great show...

[@davidcottrell1308]

Great review...and GREAT SHOW! Love The Expanse.

[@mikehackenschmidt8765]

If you’re going to advertise yourself as a Doctor, you’re legally required to use the phrase “trust me, I’m a Doctor” in each of your videos. That’s just science.

[@smhdpt12]

No, that's just being an egomaniac.

[@thedoneeye]

Surely you can't be serious...

[@thecocktailian2091]

I can concur with the OP. Weird Internet laws still forming and adjusting.

[@ogrizzo]

Should it not be: “Trust me, I’m THE Doctor”?

[@DziaduzLasu]

@@thedoneeye I'm serious. And don't call me Shirley.

[@wwlb4970]

The general idea behind survival in space vacuum is that it still cannot go unnoticed for your short-to-mid-term heath. This was clearly demonstrated in Expanse. Another question is what really stopped Inaros' team from sealing the airlock and restoring air pressure to save their mate who was obviously exposed to vacuum far less than Naomi.

[@moebel303]

His arm got stuck in the door.

[@JeffTY77450]

Would you actually need to consciously exhale or simply have your mouth open so that air could escape your lungs? The world of the Expanse seems like one great big dystopia.

[@RyanRidden]

All you need to do is keep your mouth open and then space will handle the rest! So in that sense it's easier than diving since you don't need to work to maintain internal pressure.

[@alistairsanger3111]

@@RyanRidden So it's the same as with scuba diving when breathing from pressurized air tanks?

[@Gebieter]

Naomi survived vacuum, but Alex died saving her 😭😭😭

[@thetigger3751]

Maybe another point to consider here would be rapid decompression. Usually it takes quite a while for an airlock to de/repressurize safely. So by opening the outer door while there is still air in the airlock, that remaining gas would've been sucked out pretty violently and rapidly. For a reference, check out the accident at "Byford Dolphin" where a pressurized chamber suffered a rapid decompression which led to spontaneous explosion of at least one human due to body gases expanding.

[@Malohdek]

Again, this is the opposite effect. Naomi would be pushed out of the airlock as the vacuum sucked and dispersed the air in it. Byford Dolphin was so deadly because the pressure of the water entering the diving bell was so great it literally turned it's occupants to liquid. The pressure difference between 1 atmosphere and 0 isn't as great as the bottom of the north sea.

[@ostovari_swe]

Thank you! I was trying to figure this out.. all questions answered now!

[@jakito170]

Love you explanations it should be a section after every episode

[@RyanRidden]

Thanks! It always surprises me how well the show approaches space. The writers really have done an incredible job.

[@SamuelPearlman]

This explanation was good, but at 1.5x speed it was even better-er!

[@Grizabeebles]

The extremely slow speaking to nudge the video over the 10 minute mark and run an extra add was totally aggrivating. Please never do that again.

[@RyanRidden]

@@Grizabeebles I don't have monetisation, this is just how I talk...

[@Grizabeebles]

@@RyanRidden - in that case, I apologise for offending you.

[@RyanRidden]

@@Grizabeebles no worries!

[@vimadmax]

@@RyanRidden I find it very relaxing and very calming.

[@petedazer3381]

Darn! Guess I’ll have to do something else this weekend! Great job, excellent presentation

[@bilhardenberger573]

Fascinating video. Thanks for putting it together.

[@rocketsjudoka]

I was just watching the show For All Mankind where two characters have to survive on the surface of the Moon without a pressure suit. One of the problems they have to address is that in the near vacuum of the Moon the lack of pressure would mean that blood wouldn't flow properly. This problem is solved by keeping pressure all over the body. In For All Mankind they try to address this by wrapping themselves in duct tape to keep pressure on their bodies and even then only can survive for a few seconds. Even though Naomi has hyper oxygenated her blood there is no pressure on her body so besides her blood boiling wouldn't not having any pressure, or gravity, mean that the blood wouldn't circulate properly and she would at least lose consciousness before getting to the ship?

[@CoffeeFiend1]

I was wondering if you would perhaps tag a bit on the end about Klaes Ashfords vacuum death. I did see it a long time ago so can't remember it completely vividly but that seemed to be over very quickly as he was doing the opposite of what Naomi did. Singing right out into space, mouth still moving as he seemingly died on screen (but I guess more lost consciousness and died soon later etc). Or am I misremembering and he stopped singing just as he stepped off? I can't remember now.

[@sanyaasaniap]

Well, not a bad explanation overall but!... Balloon one is massively wrong. Here on earth the atmospheric pressure is keeping gasses at certain pressure (well 1atm). In space there is no pressure to "squeeze" gasses so they expand and exert pressure on your lungs from inside, hence you need to exhale. Maybe not fully but let the pressure out for sure. You should of over inflated a balloon, not exert external pressure. Hope it makes sense

[@mckenziekeith7434]

An interesting fact about adaptation to lack of oxygen. Elephant seals are excellent divers. They are or are among the deepest, longest duration, and highest percent time submerged of all marine mammals. They dive with their lungs voided of air. I think both their hemoglobin and myoglobin are highly adapted to be able to carry much more oxygen and release it over time compared to other mammals. Obviously humans don't have these adaptations, though. Otherwise it might be even more possible to survive a hard vacuum transfer.

[@lenking8994]

An episode of Farscape had John Crichton do similar. That's my all-time favourite SF but that one moment always rankled and I felt I had to forgive or excuse it. But now I know it's possible - crazy - but possible. I'll have to re-watch and time his exposure. Cheers for such a clear explanation.

[@antonkalikin2571]

now I love Expanse even more. Thanks:)

[@eileenliu3874]

Wow this video is wonderful! It explained age questions lingering in my head! Thx a lot!

[@ProjectExMachina]

I would dare to say that with some training you can hold on for much longer then 15 seconds. Wim Hof method is one example. In it, you can train yourself to last for several minutes with exhaled lungs. It would be good presumption that Belters would develop some kind of conditioning that could help them to last long much longer in the hard vacuum then Inners would.

[@michaelinners5421]

Unlikely. Even fully exhaled there is a fair amount of air in the lungs. It remains in equilibrium with the blood. In vacuum the oxygen will rapidly diffuse out of the blood. Aviation studies show similar periods of useful consciousness (about 15-30 secs) at altitudes above 30,000 feet, no matter what you do - except putting on an oxygen mask.

[@ProjectExMachina]

@@michaelinners5421 I've made an unfortunate choice of words. Much longer as in additional 10-20 seconds longer. Also, it would be safe to presume that Belters body is already adapted to the low pressure and the low oxygen environment. Granted, they wouldn't be superhumans but, on average, they would be closer to those 30 seconds you have mentioned then an Earth dweller.

[@slicedpage]

In Episode 4 Naomi is Locked in an Isolation cell. The door closes the camera moves away and then we would normally go to the next scene but no. As the camera backs out, with Naomi looking through the glass door, a small orange sign slides into view on the door "Isolation" a second before scene change. C'MON who does that ?! We did not need that. It had nothing to do with the story line yet it was put there. Just another example of the amazing lengths this show will go to, to get complete immersion .