[TML] How long can you survive in the vacuum of space?

[Richard Aiken]

On Thu, Jun 19, 2008 at 6:46 PM, Bruce Johnson
<johnson at pharmacy.arizona.edu> wrote:
> If you have a chance to deep breathe for a few minutes beforehand (as
> deep breath-holding divers do) to saturate yourself with 02, and get a
> good lungful of air before exposure, the average person would be good
> for 2 minutes or so of active conciousness.

I've heard of the saturation bit before.  But I was under the
impression that you didn't want to enter vacuum with you lungs full of
air.  Something about your throat muscles not being strong enough to
hold it in against the pressure differential, resulting in the held
air explosively leaving, perhaps taking part of your lungs with it.
In any event, it sounds painfully distracting.  Such a violent
exhalation might cause a critical course change (either directly
through applied thrust or indirectly through sudden, painful
contorsions), if you're trying something like jumping between
airlocks.  I'd imagine it's be like the world's worst sneeze . . .

-- 
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident." Robert A. Heinlein