>>> Item number 28625 from WRITERS LOG9404C --- (55 records) ----- <<< Date: Tue, 19 Apr 1994 18:35:02 JST Reply-To: WRITERS Sender: WRITERS From: Mike Barker Subject: Re: TECH: SF Writers, Take Note. What does "spacing" do? Hi, Phil (P.Hawke@MAILSTOP.TELESAT.CA (Hawke, Phillip A.)) - But I th-th-thought it was s-so c-c-cold . . . lots of people do, but - what's one of the best insulators? (hint - used for years in containers for hot and cold drinks) [that's socratic inquest, if you're keeping score] look at it another way. there are three ways for something to cool down - radiation, conduction, convection (actually, to acquire or lose heat energy). Space (the BIG nothing) doesn't conduct, and without gases or liquids, there isn't loss to convection (which I always thought was really just conduction in a different phase, but we won't continue that argument right now). I suppose there is some loss to sublimation (as sweat converts to gas at low pressures) but it is tiny. The only one that's left is radiation - which also is pretty slow (very few people glow, and even fewer shine:-) And to answer my own question, that's why they use "space" (a vacuum) as insulation in the better grade of drink container. Nothing keeps what's inside hot or cold better than something! If you happen to be in contact with .. oh, say the backside of Mercury or some other cold material, then you could have a problem. Of course, if you insist on sticking your hand in liquid nitrogen or some such here on earth, you could have a problem too. From: ANDERMANN@SCSUD.CTSTATEU.EDU (Stan Andermann) - This is a very interesting point since I've always found - fault with 2001 for having the astronaut without his helmet - shoot through space to disable HAL. I thought the cold or - something like that of deep space would kill (freeze) him - instantly. I guess this isn't the case and I can go back - to liking the movie. yep. 2001 was pretty good about accuracy - Clarke insisted on it. this has been today's science lesson (mr. wizard? no, there's a new one, and I don't remember the name...) tomorrow we'll look at training common houseplants to eat parents! Won't that be fun! tink