Coke in Space

[deltanova]

has everybody noticed that the bubbles in coke float upwards to escape the liquid. well what would happen in zero gravity where there is no up or down?

[5614]

i think it depends on the amount of gravity, as there is always gravity, even in space, it is just very weak

depending on the amounts of gravity, either:

 

A) they would stay inside the liquid

 

or

 

B) they would float away, out of the liquid, in the opposite direction of the place of most gravity, i.e. if there is loads of gravity on your right, then the bubbles would go out to the left. that is assuming the coke is in a confined space, as if it were all poured out, presumably the chemical bonds would be stronger than gravity [this is in space!] and consequently it would all stay as one big 'lump' of coke!

[YT2095]

as one big "lump" and slowly expanding I imagine!

[5614]

as one big "lump" and slowly expanding I imagine!

 

very slowly expanding, yes, but it couldnt expand forever, so how does that work?

does it just stop expanding? or break apart?

[YT2095]

the CO2 would reach cabin pressure and it would stop

[jsatan]

It'll expand just like foam.

[5614]

although the surface tension and atomic bonding may keep the lump of coke together... it depends on how strong the bonds are.

[[Tycho?]]

It would expand.

[5614]

yes, a bit, at first... but how long would it expand for? i mean surface tension and atomic bonding has to come into it at some point.

[swansont]

Here's what NASA has to say

 

 

_{Doesn't anyone Google anymore?}

[Auk]

It'll expand just like foam.

 

But do you think it would expand fast at a noticable speed or not? The NASA link from Swanston dosen't explain this.

[swansont]

The expansion is a function of pressure, not gravity, as YT implied earlier. So is this happening in space, where the pressure is ~zero, or in an enclosed environment (like the ISS) where you have an atmosphere, more or less, of pressure?

[YT2095]

Aye

 

even on Earth a glass of fresh coke has a larger volume than it does when it`s gone flat (measuring the minisuc would be hard sure, but that`s beside the point).

 

gravity (or the lack of) just means you`ll not require a Cup to hold the coke in, and the bubbles can and will form at the same rate as they do on Earth, but appear on and in all sides equaly.

 

I`ve seen an insect inside a bubble of water in space (fascinating to watch), and also an Air bubble inside an "Bubble" of water, Equaly fascinating

 

things would be alot different at Zero Cabin pressure Though!, your coke would make quite a Mess very quickly, as it would on Earth WITH gravity. *Splat*

[Stargazer]

has everybody noticed that the bubbles in coke float upwards to escape the liquid. well what would happen in zero gravity where there is no up or down?

My guess is that the bubbles would move towards the nearest surface in the liquid.

[Ophiolite]

If you are all willing to put in $3,000,000 each, I'm willing to go up in a Soyuz to the ISS and establish a definitive answer. I'll even buy the coke!

[MadScientist]

If you are all willing to put in $3,000,000 each, I'm willing to go up in a Soyuz to the ISS and establish a definitive answer. I'll even buy the coke!

 

Wouldn't the Vomit Comet be just as effective and cheaper?

 

If not I'll donate a couple of quid.

[aguy2]

Here's what NASA has to say

 

 

_{Doesn't anyone Google anymore?}

 

Thanks for the link Swansont. As a bit of a lark I started a thread in the exobiology forum that examines the possibility that the 'grays' that the UFO people are so fond of are the result of yeast and other spores that immigrated to the Oort cloud, evolved independently, and then have re-immigrated back to Terra. It was very interesting to see that yeast cells adapted to near zero G by becoming stronger and 3 times as productive.

 

aguy2