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Is space cold? Astronauts actually need cooling

· 26 seconds

Cover of the Short “Is space cold?” Play

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Space isn't simply freezing. It's almost empty, so there's no air to carry heat away: in sunlight things get very hot, and in shadow very cold (NASA gives about 250°F / 121°C in sunlight and down to -250°F / -157°C on spacewalks in Earth orbit). Inside an insulated spacesuit, an astronaut's own body heat builds up, so spacewalk suits come with a Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment: snug long underwear with about 300 feet of tubes of chilled water.

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Transcript

  1. Sef Space is freezing, so I brought my scarf!
  2. Tiggy Not quite! Space is almost empty, so there's no air to carry heat away.
  3. Tiggy In sunlight, things get super hot. In shadow, super cold.
  4. Sef Then why am I so sweaty?
  5. Tiggy Your body makes heat, and your suit traps it, like a thermos.
  6. Tiggy That's why spacesuits have water cooled underwear!
  7. Sef Wow! Coolest undies ever!

Sources

  1. NASA: What Is a Spacesuit? nasa.gov
  2. NASA: Spacewalk Spacesuit Basics nasa.gov
  3. NASA Goddard (Cosmicopia): Heat, temperature and the cold of space science.gsfc.nasa.gov
  4. National Space Centre: KVO Liquid Cooling Garment spacecentre.co.uk
  5. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Liquid Cooling Garment, Apollo 14 airandspace.si.edu

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