Comments on: in space, no one can hear you nuke

By: James Sweet

James Sweet — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:23:48 +0000

I continue to score an epic FAIL in any attempt to visualize what an explosion in a vacuum would look like. (I take it not much like the Death Star?) Would it look roughly the same on a small scale as a large scale? i.e. if somebody took a large vacuum chamber and created a small explosion, would it look roughly the same as a large bomb in space?

If so, somebody ought to make a video of that. I just can’t visualize it without there be something in my mental picture where I’m like, “No wait, that takes air.”

By: Jypson

Jypson — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:36:08 +0000

Great breakdown! Granted the device would generate more radiation than the normal background radiation in space…but I have an inkling that most satellites would be adequately shielded to withstand the extra rads.

By: gfish

gfish — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:28:30 +0000

“would there be any interesting heat effects on the surface?”

That would depend on the bomb’s yield. The fireball might not have enough time to impart its energy onto the surface and generate any heat since it would expand so quickly in a vacuum.

“what if the nuke went off in a crater that was full of ice?”

I would think that depends on how the actual bomb goes off. Let’s assume that it’s a big, modified ICBM that essentially crashes into the lunar surface and detonates its payload. The impact itself could kick up a plume of ice, then the explosion would add to this ice plume, possibly without even melting it. So yes, it could very well just blow everything into space and send some of it our way.

By: beriukay

beriukay — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:47:04 +0000

Would there be any interesting heat effects on the surface, or would it freeze up pretty fast? What if the nuke went off in a crater that was hypothetically full of ice? Would there be the possibility of a snow storm, or would the extreme heat and lack of gravity just blow everything into space?