originally posted by smiling bandit:
do you have any cite for this? or at least a little more detail as to how the experiment was done?
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?)
Robert A. Heinlein Gentlemen, Please Be Seated