Would a person really explode in space?

[Backdrifter]

It's been depicted in films etc - an unsuited or ruptured-suited person in space swells up and explodes because of the differential pressure. Would this actually happen (as well as their asphyxiating and freezing, presumably)?

[delboy3]

I think they'd freeze solid first. Not as dramatic as popping like a balloon but if space wasn't so cold then it might happen..?

[Ralph]

They'd freeze immediately as delboy3 says, or more accurately, they'd freeze-dry. Because of the very low pressure (effectively no pressure) in space, the fluids in their body would instantly evaporate and the dry stuff that was left would freeze solid just as instantly. I think.

[mibn2cweus]

Heat dissipation occurs through radiation and conductivity. Since space is a vacuum there is nothing to carry away heat, therefore heat could only dissipate through radiation. My guess is that this would take some time?

On the other hand . . . exposure to vacuum

[boobesque]

i have read about eplosive depressurisation recently and i can tell you that you will not freze instantly. you will not eplode either. it is believed that you can survive for up to a minute in space before you die. if you are brought back in by 30 seconds you can survive quite easily. the problem is that if one ties to hold ones breath during depressurisation, the air in your lungs would expand past the capacity of your lungs causing a rupture. this would not cause you to explode but rather cause embolisms in your bloodstream leading to your heart and brain.
tests were done in pressure chambers on earth which showed that after 9-11 seconds we lose consciousness. in worst case scenarios some people have an immediate heart fibrilation but after 30 seconds everybodies heart stops anyway. this is how you die from depressurisation. your heart stops and your blood can no longer pump through your body, plus of course the lack of air

not as interesting as someone blowing up i know. i was quite disapointed myself

[jasonjake]

basically you would swell up due to pressure loss, start to lose fluids which would then freeze as they leaked away from the body, the outer layers of the body would freeze and trap any remaining fluids. after the heat had gone you would be freeze dry. any impact would then break material away but no explosions or rapid break up.