Yes, there can be fires in space. In fact, scientists have observed and studied both natural and artificial fires in space.
Naturally occurring fires in space happen when particles of gas, such as oxygen and hydrogen, become highly energized and ignite due to ultraviolet radiation, solar winds, and cosmic rays. These fires are typically short-lived and occur in very localized regions.
Artificial fires in space can be generated by combustible materials that accompany spacecrafts, such as propellants, chemicals, and other components. Even very low oxygen levels during launch can be enough to ignite these materials, especially in a more confined environment, such as inside a rocket fuel tank.
Space fires can produce a range of volatile particles, such as metal oxide, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and water vapor. In addition, due to the unique environment in space, flames can appear differently than on earth.
For example, space fires can appear round and globular, rather than burning in a linear fashion like they do on Earth.
Scientists continue to research and study space fires as they develop new technologies, materials, and precautions in the space exploration process.
Table of Contents
Is it possible for fire to exist in space?
Yes, it is possible for fire to exist in space. However, the fire wouldn’t look like the fires we are used to on Earth because there is no oxygen in space. A fire that burns in space would be more of a glowing ember or plasma-based fire, similar to fire seen in Star Wars.
In fact, NASA has conducted several studies on the potential of space fires, finding that certain materials can still be ignited in a vacuum and combustion can occur without the presence of oxygen. A fire in space could be started by sources such as electric sparks, friction heating, or chemical reaction of volatile or metallic materials.
Therefore, it is possible for fire to exist in space, or at least its plasma equivalent.
What would happen if you lit a fire in space?
If you lit a fire in space, it would behave differently compared to a fire on Earth. Since space is a vacuum, there is no oxygen to support combustion, so any flame produced would be invisible. Without gravity to move the smoke or heat upwards, the flame would be spherical, surrounding the area right around the flame.
There would also be no air currents to move the fire, so it would float in place until the fuel was used up. Even in the presence of fuel, the flame would not spread outward, as it would be limited to the particles of gas already present from the source of fuel.
It is possible that astronauts on a space mission could light a fire for short periods of time if the flame was pulled away by a tether, but the fire would eventually be extinguished due to the lack of oxygen.
All in all, lighting a fire in space is an unusual concept and would be limited in size and duration.
What does fire look like in 0 gravity?
In zero gravity, a fire would look like a sphere or ball of flames, since there would be no force of gravity to draw the heat and smoke in any particular direction. The flames would appear to move freely and eerily in the air, as if it were dancing or swimming around in an unseen liquid.
Additionally, and this would also depend on the fuel being burned, the shapes and intensity of the flames would not be consistent, but rather, they would constantly be changing as the different gases, liquids, and solids that make up the fire react.
It would be an odd experience to observe what would essentially be a flaming ball of energy, effortlessly changing and moving through the air.
How is there fire in space without oxygen?
Fire in space can be created without oxygen because of the presence of atomic particles and radiation from stars or other sources. For example, stars produce light and heat in the form of radiation, and it is this radiation that allows fires to burn in space without oxygen.
When the radiation interacts with combustible material such as fuel or gases, a chemical reaction occurs, creating fire. This reaction is called oxidation, and it happens when a substance needs to combine with oxygen to create heat and light.
Without oxygen, the reaction still occurs, but the fire is composed of plasma rather than burning oxygen-based gas.
Can you use a gun in space?
No, it is not possible to use guns in space. This is because a gun operates by propelling a bullet out of the barrel with an explosive force created by a chemical reaction created by gunpowder. In space, there is no air or other medium to carry the sound of the explosion, and no oxygen to fuel the chemical reaction necessary to fire a bullet.
Additionally, a gun would need to be able to withstand the extremely low temperatures of the vacuum of space, which most modern firearms could not do. Finally, without gravity and atmosphere, a bullet fired in space would not be able to travel in the same ways it would on Earth, making it difficult to aim and mostly ineffective.
In summary, while guns have been included in a few popular works of science fiction, it is not technically possible to use a gun in space.
What does space smell like?
Space has no smell. Scientists have taken samples of space particles, such as air and dust, back to Earth and determined that there is simply no detectable smell in the vacuum of space. However, some astronauts have described that when they have returned to Earth, their space suits have smelled like seared steak, gunpowder, and raspberries.
This smell is believed to have been created by the interaction of materials in the suits with the environment of space. The smell dissipates shortly after the astronaut is outside of their suit.
Would a body decompose in space?
No, a body would not decompose in space. Unlike the natural processes that occur in an oxygen-rich atmosphere on Earth, there is no oxygen or bacteria in space to cause decay. Although the lack of air and water in space does not stop some organisms from surviving, it does not provide the environment necessary for decay and decomposition to take place.
Although the body is exposed to temperatures lower than -100 degrees Celsius and extreme radiation, there is still no decomposition. For these reasons, any astronauts who have died in space, such as those on the Challenger disaster and Columbia explosion missions, still remain in space today.
Does space ever end?
No, space does not have an endpoint. In fact, scientists believe that space is infinite and ever-expanding, so there is no point at which it would “end.” The universe is constantly getting bigger over time, stretching the fabric of space-time farther and farther apart.
Even though we may perceive space as empty, it’s actually filled with a variety of matter and energy, various forces of nature, and large voids of darkness between galaxies.
How much do astronauts get paid?
Astronauts employed by NASA typically receive a salary ranging from $66,026 – $144,566 depending on their rank and level of experience. Additionally, the Astronaut Incentive Pay program awards bonus pay of up to $1,673 per month depending on mission difficulty and duration.
Civil servant astronauts, however, are exempt from bonus pay as they are considered “special” federal employees earning 15% more than the maximum salary allowable by the General Schedule payscale. Retired military personnel may also receive additional compensation based on years of service.
Finally, astronauts can earn performance bonuses once an official mission has been completed.
How does the sun burn if in space there is no air?
The sun is an enormous and powerful star that generates its energy from nuclear fusion. For nuclear fusion to take place there must be a great amount of pressure and temperature created inside the star.
This pressure and temperature is created by the intense gravitational force and by the hydrogen atoms inside the sun. When these hydrogen atoms are under such high pressure and temperature, they release energy, or photons, which is what gives the sun its light and heat.
Without air, space is often thought of as a vacuum, meaning there is no atmosphere to provide resistance to the photons released from the sun. Because of this, the particles that make up the sun’s atmosphere, such as the hydrogen atoms, are able to interact and release photons much more efficiently, allowing the sun to “burn” and release a great amount of light and heat into space.
Is there enough oxygen in space for fire?
No, there is not enough oxygen in space for fire. Fire needs oxygen to burn and the amount of oxygen present in space is too small to support combustion. In fact, oxygen is the fourth most abundant element in space, but the concentration is still much too low.
For example, the space shuttle had to carry a special kind of fuel, monomethylhydrazine, with nitrogen tetroxide to use in its engines since there was not enough oxygen in space to use as a fuel. Thus, there is not enough oxygen in space to support fire.
How fast do bullets travel in space?
Bullets would actually not travel very fast in space, because there is no air in space to push against, and therefore no resistance to slow them down. If fired in the vacuum of space, bullets would not be able to travel farther than a few feet before they drift off-course and come to a stop due to the lack of air pressure.
Though, because of the difficulty in accurately measuring a bullet’s speed in space, determining exactly how fast they would travel is impossible.
One experiment has attempted to measure the speed of a bullet in a vacuum chamber by firing a 7.62mm bullet at 0.3 psi of pressure. The result of the test showed that the bullet was travelling at about 2,380 feet per second.
That is about 1.62 miles per second, which is far slower than a bullet can travel in an atmosphere. To put it in perspective, the fastest bullets normally travel at around 3,500 feet per second; that’s over 11 times faster than in space.
It should be noted that the drag forces at play in space are significantly different from those at work on Earth. This means that it’s difficult to accurately determine how fast bullets would travel in space, as the conditions are rarely replicated here on the ground.
Is it possible to light a candle in outer space?
Yes, it is possible to light a candle in outer space. A candle can be lit in space just as it can be lit on Earth. However, in order for a candle to burn in space its wick must be exposed to a source of ignition such as a match, spark, or flame.
Once the wick has been lit, the candle can be burned in space provided that the environment around the candle is oxygen-rich, as the combustion of the wax needs oxygen to support the flame. Additionally, there must be a low level of turbulence and motion, as motion can cause the flame to waver and extinguish.
While the environment of space offers many challenges to burning a candle, burning a candle in space is achievable, though it is generally not recommended or practiced due to safety hazards.
Could a fire burn in space?
No, a fire cannot independently burn in space. This is because there is no oxygen in outer space, and fire needs oxygen to burn. Even though it may seem like there is some kind of flame or fire in space, this is actually caused by combustion of some kind of fuel within a spacecraft or rocket.
The fire is not burning in space in the same way it would here on Earth. The absence of oxygen also means that any fire or combustion within a spacecraft must be carefully monitored and controlled, as it can be dangerous if it is not.
