Does water in vacuum form a solid shell or freeze solid?

I'm working on a sci-fi setting which includes an aquatic space-faring species.

When a human space vessel is ruptured and depressurizes, the gas can escape rapidly and we immediately suffer from the effects of vacuum.

For a water-filled vessel and an aquatic species, how would the ship being ruptured affect the occupants? My first thought is that the water would mostly stay together. Water in vacuum begins to boil from lack of pressure, which cools the water and can result in ice forming.

In a violent emergency where the ship's hydrosphere is exposed, would the mass of water form an icy shell and protect the remainder of the water from boiling away? Would the mass of water get cold in whole, or just near the edges? Or would something else happen?

posted almost 5 years ago

Martin Carney‭

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