<p>I don't think this is astronomy, so it'll probably be closed, but the vacuum is the biggest immediate stress on the body and would very likely be the cause of death, with suffocation, which takes a few minutes, coming in a distant 2nd.   The temperature of Mars won't kill somebody that quickly and body parts don't explode and most bodily fluids won't boil.</p>

<p>The body will swell, but the skin will hold the body together and only exposed liquids like saliva will quickly boil and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECOMAbLI1V4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">boiling in a vacuum will also lead to freezing</a> so your person's mouth will fill with ice and some ice will likely form in their lungs and throat, not by freezing, but by the temperature change due to phase transition of evaporation and they'll probably explosively defecate, but their blood won't boil.  </p>

<p>If you ever are tossed out of an airlock, or teleported to Mars without your permission (where does that fall <a href="https://what-if.xkcd.com/146/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">in the things to worry about list</a>, not very high I'd imagine), but if it does happen to you, the first thing to do is exhale.  You might think "no air, I better hold my breath", but that's the worst thing you can do, you want as little air as possible inside you're body in that situation.  Any air inside your body will want to expand at 14.4 lbs per square inch and the inside of your lungs are delicate.</p>

<p>Animal lovers shouldn't read, but NASA did studies on this before sending the astronauts into space.    <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/survival-in-space-unprotected-possible/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/survival-in-space-unprotected-possible/</a>   Human studies have never been done, but with animals, 2 minutes of vacuum exposure usually lead to the heart stopping and death.  90 seconds was often survivable without significant long term negative effects.   </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-21T09:08:28.070Z
2018-11-21T09:13:55.777Z
2018-11-21T09:13:55.777Z
userLTK
<p>I  know that there is very little O2 on mars, very little pressure, and very cold temperature, but what would kill her first-suffocation, exploding, boiling body fluids, or exploding?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-21T13:06:53.227Z
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's about physiology involved in exploring another planet, not astronomy.
HDE 226868
<mars>
What would happen to a woman who was teleported to mars while wearing a dress and skirt
Bella Barbiero
# What would happen to a woman who was teleported to mars while wearing a dress and skirt

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-11-21)

I know that there is very little O2 on mars, very little pressure, and very cold temperature, but what would kill her first-suffocation, exploding, boiling body fluids, or exploding?

**Tags:** mars
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's about physiology involved in exploring another planet, not astronomy.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-11-21. Score: 1

I don't think this is astronomy, so it'll probably be closed, but the vacuum is the biggest immediate stress on the body and would very likely be the cause of death, with suffocation, which takes a few minutes, coming in a distant 2nd. The temperature of Mars won't kill somebody that quickly and body parts don't explode and most bodily fluids won't boil.

The body will swell, but the skin will hold the body together and only exposed liquids like saliva will quickly boil and [boiling in a vacuum will also lead to freezing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECOMAbLI1V4) so your person's mouth will fill with ice and some ice will likely form in their lungs and throat, not by freezing, but by the temperature change due to phase transition of evaporation and they'll probably explosively defecate, but their blood won't boil.

If you ever are tossed out of an airlock, or teleported to Mars without your permission (where does that fall [in the things to worry about list](https://what-if.xkcd.com/146/), not very high I'd imagine), but if it does happen to you, the first thing to do is exhale. You might think "no air, I better hold my breath", but that's the worst thing you can do, you want as little air as possible inside you're body in that situation. Any air inside your body will want to expand at 14.4 lbs per square inch and the inside of your lungs are delicate.

Animal lovers shouldn't read, but NASA did studies on this before sending the astronauts into space. <https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/survival-in-space-unprotected-possible/> Human studies have never been done, but with animals, 2 minutes of vacuum exposure usually lead to the heart stopping and death. 90 seconds was often survivable without significant long term negative effects.


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