# Does it feel cold or hot in space? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 7, 2007, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-feel-cold-or-hot-in-space/387019 "2007-01-07T04:31:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-feel-cold-or-hot-in-space/387019/1 "2007-01-07T04:31:18Z")
Suppose someone does a moon walk sans spacesuit. (As per another thread presently on page one of the forum.) Will that person feel hot or cold? -Kris ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-feel-cold-or-hot-in-space/387019/2 "2007-01-07T04:43:07Z")
Space itself actually has no temperature but your body would lose all its own heat so it would _feel_ really cold. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-feel-cold-or-hot-in-space/387019/3 "2007-01-07T04:48:07Z")
Unless the Sun is shining on you, in which case you’ll feel really _hot_. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-feel-cold-or-hot-in-space/387019/4 "2007-01-07T05:01:01Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Space itself actually has no temperature but your body would lose all its own heat so it would _feel_ really cold. [/QUOTE] Well, the[space suit](http://www1.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/suitnasa.html) has quite a cooling mechanism to control the temperature of the ventilation gas. > [@](#): > > The PLSS consists of a backpack unit permanently mounted to the hard upper torso of the suit and a control-and-display unit mounted on the suit chest. The backpack unit supplies oxygen for breathing, suit pressurization and ventilation. The unit also cools and circulates water used in the liquid cooling ventilation garment controls ventilation gas temperature, absorbs carbon dioxide, and removes odors from the suit atmosphere. The secondary oxygen pack attaches to the bottom of the PLSS and supplies oxygen if the primary oxygen fails. The control-and-display unit allows the crew member to control and monitor the PLSS, the secondary oxygen pack, and, when attached, the manned maneuvering unit. The cite also states that the sun side of the suit can reach 250 F and the space side -250F. Withouth the suit that would be quite a temperature gradient for the body to tolerate. However, if the ventilation gas needs cooling it would appear that the net heat from the sun and the body exceeds the heat lost to space. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-feel-cold-or-hot-in-space/387019/5 "2007-01-07T05:19:30Z")
[QUOTE=David Simmons] Well, the[space suit](http://www1.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/suitnasa.html) has quite a cooling mechanism to control the temperature of the ventilation gas. The cite also states that the sun side of the suit can reach 250 F and the space side -250F. Withouth the suit that would be quite a temperature gradient for the body to tolerate. However, if the ventilation gas needs cooling it would appear that the net heat from the sun and the body exceeds the heat lost to space. [/QUOTE] The OP specifically asked about how it would feel _without_ a suit. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-feel-cold-or-hot-in-space/387019/6 "2007-01-07T05:23:53Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] The OP specifically asked about how it would feel _without_ a suit. [/QUOTE] Yes. I was just pointing out that a suit has to be cooled, and the suit is as white as they can make it so as to cut down solar input. Of course this also reduces radiation into space. A body clothed in white and exposed to the sun would probably be not too cold. ---
**Author:** ![space\_fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@space\_fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/space_fish)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-feel-cold-or-hot-in-space/387019/7 "2007-01-07T05:26:31Z")
I’d wager it’d depend if you’re hot or cold. Vacuums are the best insulators.