# Space explosions?



## Thunderchild (Jun 28, 2006)

Sci fi has been turning the other way when it comes to the lack of oxygen in space for years with regards to explosions - but im wondering if there is any video footage of space experiments involving explosions in vacume, any ideas?


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## j d worthington (Jun 28, 2006)

In space, I'm not sure, though I rather doubt it. Perhaps something that happened accidentally, but to do so deliberately would be rather a costly experiment, considering the mass/weight/fuel ratio problems. However, I think (though I wouldn't swear to this, it's a very old memory if real) there's some footage of experiments in vacuum chambers, to get an idea. In part, I think, many explosives provide their own fuel, for one thing, allowing the fire to burn as the gases expand from the source (hence the generally spherical shape in space), so lack of oxygen only becomes a problem once that initial fireball has reached a certain limit where the original fuel is exhausted and it would need fresh oxygen (or other flammable gases) to continue burning. And though there is atmosphere in space, it's incredibly attenuated, so would not provide a good medium.


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## steve12553 (Jun 28, 2006)

Remember, rockets, by definition use the controlled burning of a fuel/oxygen mixture. An improper mix or damaged combustion chamber could provide all the things necessary for an explosion. Although it never happened per se, one of the descriptions of the American Mercury space program had to do with the brave Astronauts sitting on top of a bomb and riding it into space.


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## Tau Zero (Jun 29, 2006)

In the 1950s the United States conducted a series of nuclear explosions in the very high atmosphere.  I know some were over 250,000 feet.  The "re-action" of exo-atmospheric tests are quite different then those within the atmosphere.  Pictures and films of these test are available.  Some short films are available here:

http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/films/testfilms.aspx


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## j d worthington (Jun 29, 2006)

That's right; I'd forgotten about the nuclear tests of that nature. But wouldn't it still be low enough that atmospheric pressure would have a certain noticeable effect on how the fireball formed? Or is the atmosphere so attenuated at that height that this factor is negligible? It's certainly not a true vacuum, nor even close to those we've been able to achieve under laboratory conditions, is it?


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## Tau Zero (Jun 29, 2006)

Some of the test were over 100 miles up.  There were tests at the border of space and in true space.


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## j d worthington (Jun 29, 2006)

Thanks. Either I'd never realized or had forgotten that fact. Was there footage of these as well as some of those at lower altitudes? If so, I'd like to see what the results looked like.


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## Tau Zero (Jun 29, 2006)

At work.  Can't talk.  Go here:

http://www.awe.co.uk/main_site/scientific_and_technical/featured_areas/dpd/computational_physics/nuclear_effects_group/nuclear_effects_group_2/index.html


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## Tau Zero (Jun 30, 2006)

Some more pictures here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_altitude_nuclear_event


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## j d worthington (Jun 30, 2006)

TZ: thanks for all the info on this. I have no idea what happened to my brain to have forgotten all the nuclear tests that have been run -- it's like a large part of my memory got dumped somewhere along the way; so thanks for refreshing me on this, and providing me with more information than I had to begin with (before the dump, that is). Kudos.


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## dreamwalker (Jun 30, 2006)

WOW. 
Thanks loads for the questions/links


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