As a scifi writer, I love the idea of throwing the bad guy out of an airlock. It’s like the ultimate in poetic justice. Better than taking a lame blaster to the heart, or being eaten by a space slug, or falling into a star. But what really happens to the human body when suddenly exposed to total vacuum? How do I describe it to the reader?

I ran across a great article on Gizmodo last week that sums it up quite nicely. Keep the science tight and accurate, and you can still have a really entertaining death scene. Here’s the article:

http://gizmodo.com/5924522/what-really-happens-when-you-get-sucked-out-of-an-airlock

Love the closing paragraph:

So, while the end of your life in space may not be nearly as dramatic as Hollywood would have you believe, exposure to its vacuous expanse is still going to suck. And, more than likely, you’re going to die. Sorry. Just remember to breathe out first. 

And here’s a great GIF of a classic vacuum-exposure scene. Any other movies come to mind for you?