EliasM.’s Site

Astronomy Wonder Project- What if space was full of breathable air?

Have you ever wondered what would be different if we lived in a world where space was full of air?

Before you say “Well duh-doy we could breathe in space” consider this post, what might seem like a blessing may turn into a world ending curse.

Context

1. Ok lets assume that space has always been full of air, if a universe sized quantity of air were to simply pop into existence we would all most likely get crushed and die instantly.
2. Lets also assume that the air in space is also the same chemical mixture that we breath. Our breathable air is mixture of gasses, containing around, 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and about 1% argon.

   

3. Finally lets assume the Earth somehow survived the multiple world ending catastrophes that would occur if space was full of air. (More on that next)

Apocalypses

Being able to take a deep breath of cosmic air sounds real nice right? Well the cost for that sweet gulp of radioactive space gas might be more than you bargained for…

Helpful Video:

Apocalypse number 1: Friction.

Have you ever tried rubbing sandpaper against another piece of sandpaper? If yes you know that it is not particularly easy, you may have also noticed that it generates some heat. The thing you may unaware of is that air causes friction. In normal space there is little to almost no friction exerted on objects. Taking into account that the Earth orbits the sun at 107,000 km/h’s, the amount of thermal energy created by the incredibly high amounts of friction would be enough to completely fry the surface destroying everything.

Apocalypse number 2: Moon Collison

Ok, lets say we the Earth somehow had a special friction shield around it and we were able to survive, now we have a new problem. The moon would be under so much friction that it would eventually slow to a complete halt, this would then cause the Earths gravity to pull the moon towards us, resulting in a spectacular Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask style game over.

Apocalypse number 3: Pressure

Say, lets also add the friction shield to the moon. BUT WAIT! Our problems are not done yet, this brings us to the problem of pressure. Within a few hours, “our planet will be attracted by air from space and the atmospheric pressure on the Earth will grow rapidly. In a short time, the increased atmospheric pressure will crush all life on Earth” (6).

Apocalypse number 4: The Great Darkness

Lets say the Earth and the moon have a friction shield and a pressure shield? That has to be the end of our problems right? BUT NO! With our normal conditions the suns rays of light have no problem making their way to us and through our atmosphere, but when you add the 151.94 million kilometers of air to that equation things get tricky. The sun’s light would get scattered by the air on its way to us this would plunge us into darkness, but don’t worry we would still have the lovely air friction to keep us warm.

Solution?

There is no real possible solution for this problem, as technology would be out of the question due to the Earths age and that for evolution to occur a planet is slightly important. The only solution to the friction dilemma would be for the Earth to stop moving but that opens up a whole new can of worms.

Noise

Noise travels very poorly in space due to the extreme lack of molecules, when you add a near infinite amount of air into the mixture things change. For starters using special equipment scientists would be able to hear galactic events such as nebulas, black holes and more! But the problem with this is that everyone would probably need hearing aids. Normally we are unable to hear the giant star that provides us with light but in a world where space is filled with air the noise would be able to travel and reach us.

“The sun makes noise due to its constant flow of hot material on the surface and then the sinking of cooled material toward the center. On the surface, this noise is estimated to be 10x to the 100x the power of speakers at a rock concert” (2)

The sun’s sound would of decrease as it made its way to Earth but it would still be incredibly loud, this would be quite the discomfort for many. Perhaps we would have evolved to be deaf or unable to hear certain frequencies but this is merely hypothetical.

Helpful video:

Interesting Changes

If we were somehow able to persist past all of these issues some interesting changes would occur.

Here are some examples:

• Space ships would need to be able to withstand air resistance and the heat generated from friction.
• Rockets would most likely have wings to help with aerodynamics.
• Rocket fuel costs would be much higher as more thrust would be needed to make space voyages.
• Satellites would need constant trust to prevent atmospheric drag (air slowing down objects) from slowing them down causing Earth to pull them in.
• Space air may not be breathable, due to aspects such as solar radiation and temperature we may still need our cozy space suits.
• Stars would warm the air around them causing places close to stars to be incredibly hot whilst places far from stars may be incredibly cold.
• There would be new types stars! this is caused by the air clumping up and condensing.

And much more!

Concluding Note

In conclusion we may be able to breath in space but the consequences and repercussions from an air filled universe far outweigh any positive that may arise.

References

 

«Settings of “1984” »PHE 10 Final Goal Setting