<p>I guess that depends on how much radiation they're getting. I should also point out that astronauts are not 100% protected from radiation, as discussed in <a href="https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/1034/how-are-the-astronauts-in-the-iss-protected-from-solar-flares">this question</a>. One of the most common affects on actual astronauts is the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19580503" rel="nofollow noreferrer">development of cataracts</a>. They can also receive <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/137.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">damage to their nervous system</a> over time, among other effects.</p>

<p>But it appears that you're asking what would happen to a person who was exposed to a huge amount of radiation, such as if they went into space with a suit that did little to protect from radiation. I think to answer that, we just have to look at cases where humans have actually been exposed to huge amounts of radiation.</p>

<p>One interesting example that comes to mind is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoli_Bugorski" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Anatoli Bugorski</a> who was a Russian particle physicist who accidentally had his head inside a particle accelerator when it was on. His head was subjected to huge amounts of radiation. The results of this are described as</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The left half of Bugorski's face swelled up beyond recognition and,
  over the next several days, started peeling off, revealing the path
  that the proton beam (moving near the speed of light) had burned
  through parts of his face, his bone and the brain tissue underneath.
  As it was believed that he had received far in excess of a fatal dose
  of radiation, Bugorski was taken to a clinic in Moscow where the
  doctors could observe his expected demise. However, Bugorski survived
  and even completed his Ph.D. There was virtually no damage to his
  intellectual capacity, but the fatigue of mental work increased
  markedly. Bugorski completely lost hearing in the left ear and only
  a constant, unpleasant internal noise remained. The left half of his
  face was paralyzed due to the destruction of nerves.<a href="https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/1034/how-are-the-astronauts-in-the-iss-protected-from-solar-flares">1</a> He was able to
  function well, except for the fact that he had occasional complex
  partial seizures and rare tonic-clonic seizures.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Now imagine what could happen if a person were to be exposed in a similar fashion to highly energetic particles in space, but throughout their body and not just their face. I expect that a person could not survive such an exposure and that their body would be destroyed. Even if they survived, it is highly likely they would live with crippling medical conditions and very likely develop cancer later in life.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-02T19:00:45.757Z
+1 for included (unfortunate) example, allowed me to actually know the impact of radiation instead of theoretical effects
HotSaucey
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-01T18:31:35.003Z
2016-06-01T18:31:35.003Z
2017-04-13T12:58:55.210Z
zephyr
<p>I know that astronauts are constantly being protected from radiation from the sun and the cosmos. They are normally very safe from the harmful effects of radiation but what if their protection wasn't effective at all? What would be the effects on the human body if it is exposed to radiation? </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-01T21:08:04.547Z
The seeing cosmic rays in space story is a nice one: http://www.universetoday.com/94714/seeing-cosmic-rays-in-space/
Wayfaring Stranger
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-02T13:07:28.480Z
We're exposed to radiation all the time, but the amount is relatively low. As that amount increases (let's pretend an astronaut inadvertently finds themselves in the Van Allen belt.) Then usually things go from bad to worse; ionising rays shred the bodies cells and begin to shear apart DNA in the nucleus of a few cells, increasing the likelihood of tumor growth and cancer, and as radiation level increases further one can usually expect nausea, vivid hallucinations (sometimes of dead people) and eventually painful organ failure and then death.
Logan
<orbit><earth><radiation>
What would happen if an astronaut orbiting Earth was exposed to radiation?
HotSaucey
# What would happen if an astronaut orbiting Earth was exposed to radiation?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-06-01)

I know that astronauts are constantly being protected from radiation from the sun and the cosmos. They are normally very safe from the harmful effects of radiation but what if their protection wasn't effective at all? What would be the effects on the human body if it is exposed to radiation?

**Tags:** orbit, earth, radiation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The seeing cosmic rays in space story is a nice one: http://www.universetoday.com/94714/seeing-cosmic-rays-in-space/  
> **username_2**: We're exposed to radiation all the time, but the amount is relatively low. As that amount increases (let's pretend an astronaut inadvertently finds themselves in the Van Allen belt.) Then usually things go from bad to worse; ionising rays shred the bodies cells and begin to shear apart DNA in the nucleus of a few cells, increasing the likelihood of tumor growth and cancer, and as radiation level increases further one can usually expect nausea, vivid hallucinations (sometimes of dead people) and eventually painful organ failure and then death.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-06-01. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

I guess that depends on how much radiation they're getting. I should also point out that astronauts are not 100% protected from radiation, as discussed in [this question](https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/1034/how-are-the-astronauts-in-the-iss-protected-from-solar-flares). One of the most common affects on actual astronauts is the [development of cataracts](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19580503). They can also receive [damage to their nervous system](http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/137.html) over time, among other effects.

But it appears that you're asking what would happen to a person who was exposed to a huge amount of radiation, such as if they went into space with a suit that did little to protect from radiation. I think to answer that, we just have to look at cases where humans have actually been exposed to huge amounts of radiation.

One interesting example that comes to mind is [Anatoli Bugorski](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoli_Bugorski) who was a Russian particle physicist who accidentally had his head inside a particle accelerator when it was on. His head was subjected to huge amounts of radiation. The results of this are described as

> The left half of Bugorski's face swelled up beyond recognition and,
> over the next several days, started peeling off, revealing the path
> that the proton beam (moving near the speed of light) had burned
> through parts of his face, his bone and the brain tissue underneath.
> As it was believed that he had received far in excess of a fatal dose
> of radiation, Bugorski was taken to a clinic in Moscow where the
> doctors could observe his expected demise. However, Bugorski survived
> and even completed his Ph.D. There was virtually no damage to his
> intellectual capacity, but the fatigue of mental work increased
> markedly. Bugorski completely lost hearing in the left ear and only
> a constant, unpleasant internal noise remained. The left half of his
> face was paralyzed due to the destruction of nerves.[1](https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/1034/how-are-the-astronauts-in-the-iss-protected-from-solar-flares) He was able to
> function well, except for the fact that he had occasional complex
> partial seizures and rare tonic-clonic seizures.

Now imagine what could happen if a person were to be exposed in a similar fashion to highly energetic particles in space, but throughout their body and not just their face. I expect that a person could not survive such an exposure and that their body would be destroyed. Even if they survived, it is highly likely they would live with crippling medical conditions and very likely develop cancer later in life.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: +1 for included (unfortunate) example, allowed me to actually know the impact of radiation instead of theoretical effects  

---

