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In microgravity environments, boiling works very differently than it does on Earth. Under our gravity conditions, hotter parts of the liquid rise, while cooler parts sink. When vapor bubbles begin to form, they get shot upward, creating that classic "rolling boil."

In space, though, heated liquid doesn't rise, so it just sits next to the heater and gets hotter. Likewise, as bubbles of vapor form, they don't rise to the surface. Instead, they form one big bubble that moves through the liquid. Sometimes, that big bubble sticks to the heat source, preventing the rest of the liquid from boiling.

Other times, the liquid doesn't boil at all. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have gotten liquids up to 160 degrees Kelvin above their normal boiling temperatures, and since "superheating" a liquid like that can be dangerous, they couldn't heat it any more than that for safety reasons.

All that's to say that microgravity makes hot liquids behave weirdly, and scientists don't have it all figured out.

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Keith Rohan

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5y ago

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What happens to water in space?

Because there is no gravity in space, and because liquids' natural shape is a sphere; water, or any other liquid for that matter, in the zero-gravity of space will automaticly transform into a floating ball of liquid if not contained. For example, because your blood is contained in your veins and there is no air in your blood vessels, your blood will not do this.lol, no.the oxygen in the water would expand rapidly, aka boil. then it would intermediately freeze and turn into a cloud of ice.


What will happen to water if expose in outer space?

In outer space, water exposed to the vacuum would rapidly boil and vaporize due to the lack of atmospheric pressure. The water would freeze quickly into ice crystals as it expands and loses heat energy. Ultimately, the water would dissipate into space as vapor or ice particles.


What happens if you're naked in space?

If you were exposed to the vacuum of space without a spacesuit or any form of protection, the lack of air pressure would cause the fluids in your body to boil, leading to rapid swelling and potential internal injuries. Additionally, the extreme cold temperature in space would quickly freeze your body. Ultimately, you would lose consciousness and die within a few minutes.


What happens to the Suns energy when it reaches the earths surface?

What happens to Solar Energy is that some of it gets absorbed into air, land and water while the rest gets reflected back to space.


What happens if you go into space without a spacesuit?

If you go into space without a spacesuit, you would experience a rapid drop in pressure, causing your bodily fluids to boil and leading to decompression sickness. You would also be exposed to harmful levels of radiation and extreme temperatures, resulting in rapid hypothermia or hyperthermia. Ultimately, you would not survive for long due to the hostile conditions of space.

Related Questions

Does water boil in outer space?

no it vaporizes


What happens to the particles when water begins to boil?

they move faster.


What happens to a coin when you boil it?

In water, it just gets clean.


What happens if you boil carbonated water?

When you boil carbonated water, the carbon dioxide gas that gives it fizziness is released into the air, leaving behind plain water.


What happens to the molecules when you boil water do they boils off or stay behind?

Whe you boil water, molecules of water "escape" into the atmosphere. The molecular structure of water is unaffected by boiling.


What happens if you drink water that is under a boil advisory and you did not boil it?

You stand the chance of contacting any of many intestinal disorders.


What happens when you put dye in water?

If you boil it, the water will boil and the dye will not, leaving you with dye.


What happens when you heat water to its boiling point?

It begins to boil, after which it doesn't get any warmer.


Why does blood boil in space?

It doesn't...that's a myth. Blood doesn't boil in space.


Does the water boil in the ocean when struck by lightning?

No. The lightening spreads a bit far and anything within that space would be killed, but the water shall not boil because the electric discharge is spread out so far.


What happens when you go outside in outer space?

When you go outside in outer space, you are unable to breathe. You would most likely pass out and your blood would then boil and finally freeze because of the vacuum of space.


Can you pop a boil?

You can pop a boil but it is not recommended due the risk of further infection. You can make the boil come to a head by laying a washcloth rinsed in hot water over it. The will help the infection rise to the surface. As this happens the boil will open up and begin to drain.