# What if I exposed only my hand to outer-space **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 28, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-i-exposed-only-my-hand-to-outer-space/177991 "2003-05-28T12:13:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrLiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DrLiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrLiver)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-i-exposed-only-my-hand-to-outer-space/177991/21 "2003-05-30T07:52:42Z")
originally posted by **smiling bandit** : > [@](#): > > NASA actually experimented with this. After an hour, the guy doing it stopped because he was getting to much blood in his lower arm, but it was fine. do you have any cite for this? or at least a little more detail as to how the experiment was done? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-i-exposed-only-my-hand-to-outer-space/177991/22 "2003-05-30T08:20:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sparrow \* > \*\*He had the crew of a spaceship being rescued via spacewalk though none of them had spacesuits. \*\* Clarke has used this situation several times - _Earthlight_, \* Take a Deep Breath\* and of course _2001_ when Dave jumps from the pod to the Discovery without a spacesuit helmet. I also remember reading a story where a spacecraft hull is punctured by a small meteor and the crew can’t find anything with the right shape and consistency to seal up the leak. So one of the crew pulls down his pants and plugs up the leak with his buttock. This is essentially the same situation as the OP, where one part of your skin is exposed to vacuum and the rest of the body to normal atmosphere. In the story the guy only gets a bad blister. (Anyone know the title and author?) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-i-exposed-only-my-hand-to-outer-space/177991/23 "2003-05-30T09:45:00Z")
Robert A. Heinlein _Gentlemen, Please Be Seated_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-i-exposed-only-my-hand-to-outer-space/177991.md?page=1)