Excluding pressure and breathing issues, how long can someone survive unprotected in space?

Bob escaped from his exploding spaceship in the world's most ghetto escape pod - an airtight metal box, with only some respiratory gear ($\text{O}_2$ tank, $\text{CO}_2$ filter) as company. Now he's floating in open space, awaiting rescue. Disregarding that people die fast in space due to exposure to the vacuum.

• How long can he stay alive in this situation?
• Can he do anything to maximise his survival time?
• What eventually kills him?

More details:

• Assume a 1x1x2m box, constructed of sheet metal. (If this isn't strong enough to resist a vacuum, then have the sides a bit thicker.) If it makes a giant difference, then maybe a slightly bigger box could be used, but remember it needs to fit in an airlock at the end of the day. In universe this is a small cargo container.
• Earth orbit. Bonus pts if you can describe other locations, but Earth orbit is most important.
• Bob is mentally strong.

posted almost 9 years ago

Fhnuzoag‭

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