From: someguy@somewhere.se.retro.com   
      
   Rearranged reply to correct some top posting:   
      
    >Craig Secrist wrote:   
      
    >> Shadowmega wrote:   
    >>   
    >> I already posted a question about heat asking how heat travels through   
    >> a vacuum, but everybody assumed I was talking about starlight and I   
    >> therefore got a bunch of responses relating to photons and   
    >> electromagnetic waves. So allow me to rephrase...   
    >>   
    >> If an astronaut removes his helmet in space, what happens to his body   
    >> heat considering heat does not travel through a vacuum?   
    >>   
      
      
   > the astronaut in question is flash frozen, his blood freeze dried   
   > instantly, assuming the astronaut in question didn't explode immediately   
   > from the air pressure difference. This is not a really fun experiment.   
   > Don't try this at home, kids.   
   >   
   No, he is not flash frozen. If we disregard any effects due to the air   
   pressure difference his temperature might degrade because he is   
   radiating heat into deep space (assuming the head is in shadow, if it is   
   in sunlight in earth orbit it will be heated and get a very quick tan!)   
      
   > The reason heat does not travel easily through a vaccuum is because heat   
   > is kinetic energy, which operates at a much higher collective density   
   > per cubic environment variable than in outer space. Consider the fact   
   > that in outer space, the closest atoms are together is about a meter   
   > apart, no accounting for dust and debris say in a ring like around   
   > Saturn or an asteroid belt, whereas on Earth the atoms are much closer   
   > together, say anywhere from a nanometer on up(that's 1/1,000,000 of one   
   > meter). You can feel heat on earth because there are more atoms to   
   > transmit heat than there are in space. Got it? Good. Since kinetic   
   > energy is an active force, the less there is around it to support the   
   > force exerted, the less force can be exerted and the more force must be   
   > exerted to maintain equilibrium. It is a recursively dynamic equation   
   > bearing on that which can be used efficiently for kinetic support   
   > grounded to the base state of consumption rate needed to maintain the   
   > ground state.   
   >   
   Here you are are making a big mistake, heat is not just kinetic energy,   
   it is also photon energy, just use the Planck Law and you'll find out   
   how much heat exchange there is with the environment (3 K if radiating   
   into deep space)   
      
   --   
   th   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)