--- title: "Could you survive — places" description: "17 questions about surviving places, each with what happens physiologically and in what order." url: https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/environment/ site: "At One Place" --- # Places 17 questions in the places category. | Question | Answer | | --- | --- | | How long could you survive in deep space? | About fifteen seconds of consciousness, and roughly ninety seconds before the damage becomes irreversible. | | Could you survive on Mars? | Unprotected, under two minutes. In a pressurised habitat, indefinitely — the limits become supply and radiation. | | How long can you survive in the death zone on Everest? | Hours to a couple of days. Above about 8,000 metres the body deteriorates no matter what you do. | | How long can you survive adrift in the open ocean? | In warm water with a raft, three to five days without drinking water — but immersion in cold water is measured in hours. | | How long could you survive on the Moon? | About fifteen seconds of consciousness without a suit. With one, the record stay is 75 hours. | | How long could you survive in the Mariana Trench? | Unprotected, no measurable time at all — the pressure is over a thousand times atmospheric. In a submersible, as long as the life support lasts. | | How long can you survive in Antarctica? | Minutes to an hour unprotected in a winter storm — or indefinitely, since around a thousand people overwinter there every year. | | How long can you survive in the Sahara Desert? | Around a day without water in summer daytime heat, and several days if you can stay in shade and move only at night. | | How long could you survive on Venus? | Seconds. The surface is 465 °C at ninety-two times Earth's atmospheric pressure — the hardest place in the solar system to land on. | | Could you survive on Jupiter? | There is no surface to survive on — you would fall inward until pressure and heat ended it, within minutes. | | How close to the Sun could you survive? | Nothing solid survives contact — but a shielded spacecraft has flown within about 6 million kilometres of the surface. | | How long could you survive on a desert island? | Fresh water decides it. With a spring or reliable rain, years; without, about three days. | | How long can you survive on the International Space Station? | Indefinitely while it is resupplied — it has been continuously crewed since November 2000. | | How long can you survive in the Arctic? | Hours unprotected in winter — but roughly four million people live above the Arctic Circle permanently. | | How long can you survive in a cave? | With water and warmth, months — people have done it deliberately. Without light or a way out, hypothermia is the clock. | | How long can you survive in a rainforest? | Water and warmth are free, so weeks are plausible — infection, injury and navigation are what actually end it. | | Could you survive on Titan? | You would not need a pressure suit, only air and extreme insulation — the surface is -179 °C at about 1.5 bar. | - [How long could you survive in deep space?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/deep-space/) — About fifteen seconds of consciousness, and roughly ninety seconds before the damage becomes irreversible. - [Could you survive on Mars?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/mars/) — Unprotected, under two minutes. In a pressurised habitat, indefinitely — the limits become supply and radiation. - [How long can you survive in the death zone on Everest?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/everest-death-zone/) — Hours to a couple of days. Above about 8,000 metres the body deteriorates no matter what you do. - [How long can you survive adrift in the open ocean?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/open-ocean/) — In warm water with a raft, three to five days without drinking water — but immersion in cold water is measured in hours. - [How long could you survive on the Moon?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/the-moon/) — About fifteen seconds of consciousness without a suit. With one, the record stay is 75 hours. - [How long could you survive in the Mariana Trench?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/mariana-trench/) — Unprotected, no measurable time at all — the pressure is over a thousand times atmospheric. In a submersible, as long as the life support lasts. - [How long can you survive in Antarctica?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/antarctica/) — Minutes to an hour unprotected in a winter storm — or indefinitely, since around a thousand people overwinter there every year. - [How long can you survive in the Sahara Desert?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/sahara/) — Around a day without water in summer daytime heat, and several days if you can stay in shade and move only at night. - [How long could you survive on Venus?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/venus/) — Seconds. The surface is 465 °C at ninety-two times Earth's atmospheric pressure — the hardest place in the solar system to land on. - [Could you survive on Jupiter?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/jupiter/) — There is no surface to survive on — you would fall inward until pressure and heat ended it, within minutes. - [How close to the Sun could you survive?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/the-sun/) — Nothing solid survives contact — but a shielded spacecraft has flown within about 6 million kilometres of the surface. - [How long could you survive on a desert island?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/desert-island/) — Fresh water decides it. With a spring or reliable rain, years; without, about three days. - [How long can you survive on the International Space Station?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/the-iss/) — Indefinitely while it is resupplied — it has been continuously crewed since November 2000. - [How long can you survive in the Arctic?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/the-arctic/) — Hours unprotected in winter — but roughly four million people live above the Arctic Circle permanently. - [How long can you survive in a cave?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/cave-system/) — With water and warmth, months — people have done it deliberately. Without light or a way out, hypothermia is the clock. - [How long can you survive in a rainforest?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/rainforest/) — Water and warmth are free, so weeks are plausible — infection, injury and navigation are what actually end it. - [Could you survive on Titan?](https://atoneplace.net/could-you-survive/titan/) — You would not need a pressure suit, only air and extreme insulation — the surface is -179 °C at about 1.5 bar.