On: How often do plane stowaways fall from the sky?

[ChuckMcM]

Your lungs need a minimum density of air in order for the gas to pass into your blood. If you can't maintain that air density you 'outgas' only. It won't kill you immediately (you can actually survive in a complete vacuum for example) until the existing oxygen in your system runs out, then its game over.

[mukaiji → ChuckMcM]

I don't believe you can survive in a true vacuum. Your skin would bruise instantly for one.

[joezydeco → mukaiji]

Some anecdotal evidence here: http://www.geoffreylandis.com/vacuum.html

[Someone → mukaiji]

Even if that is true, why do you think skin bruising is lethal?

Unsurprisingly, there is little data on this, but what there is seems to indicate that vacuum is survivable.see e.g. http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970603.h..., http://www.newscientist.com/blog/space/2008/06/how-long-can-...