Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Elsie
How could this be? I thought that in the vacuum of space (or Moon) that ANY ice would sublimate away, like my cubes do in my freezer compartment.

With the high vacuum of the moon, an area shielded from the sun will be heated by solar energy only by conduction through the rocks, which would be very inefficient over a long distance. It will equilibrate with space by radiation, which gets inefficient as the temperature drops. At some point you'll reach a steady state, where the heat arriving equals the heat being lost, and the steady state will likely be very cold. The vapor pressure of ice goes almost to zero at -100 C, and as importantly the rate of sublimation is almost zero. So ice in a crater could potentially last a long time. In principle, you're right; at equilibrium, it would all sublime away. However, calculating how long that might take involves so many very loose estimates that I'm sure people could come up with scientifically justifiable estimates that differed by orders of magnitude

502 posted on 03/17/2004 6:26:56 AM PST by Right Wing Professor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 494 | View Replies ]


To: Right Wing Professor
However, calculating how long that might take involves so many very loose estimates that I'm sure people could come up with scientifically justifiable estimates that differed by orders of magnitude

Why so loose? Do the math and get the upper and lower limits, and we'll see if they fit into lifetime estimates of the Earth/Moon system.

523 posted on 03/17/2004 11:21:25 AM PST by Elsie (When the avalanche starts... it's too late for the pebbles to vote....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 502 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson