Chemistry is in everyday life, including space travel. One might ask what is involved with space travel? A lot of times fuel for the rockets come to mind, but there is also the making of the rocket itself and how they breathe all the way up into space. A method they use for breathing in space is electrolysis. Other factors are the diet, the removal of waste, and the impact of space. In spacecraft fuel the two main categories are liquid and solid rockets, which have different combinations and impulse values. In the development of a spacecraft carbon nanotubes are expected to used.
Rocket propulsion, of course, includes combustion. Combustion is where a substance reacts with oxygen and gives off heat. The source of oxygen is called an oxidizer …show more content…
Carbon nanotubes are an allotrope of carbon. They take the form of cylindrical carbon molecules and have novel properties that make them potentially useful in a wide variety of applications in nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields of materials science. Properties of carbon nanotubes include high electrical conductivity, very high tensile strength, very flexible; can be bent considerably without damage, very elastic, high thermal conductivity, and low thermal expansion coefficient. Other properties include good electron field emitters and aspect ratio. Electrical conductivity in the nanotubes could be useful in future spacecraft; the body itself could store power and have several functions and bend themselves. That is where the flexibility comes in. The thermal conductivity could be used as an insulator for the extreme temperatures in …show more content…
Plants on earth grow in soil and the roots grow down to absorb nutrients and water. Instead of the roots going in one direction, in space they go in all directions and since there is no gravity everything floats. A “veggie” is a capsule which includes a plant pillow to keep the soil, water, and the plant itself from floating around. The roots can be drawn down by sticking seedlings onto a wicking material that is included in the plant pillow. Sunlight is not available however, it can be replaced by LEDs to give the plants energy. LEDs (light emitting diodes) produce light when it conducts an electric current. The following plants are examples that have been grown in space: Arabidopsis (Thale Cress), Mizuna lettuce, Super dwarf wheat, Apogey wheat, Bassica rapa (Oilseed), Rice, Tulips, Kalanchoe (tropical flowered plant), flax, peas, radishes, garlic, cucumbers, parsley, and dill.
Everyone has to use the bathroom, even in space. So how do astronauts get rid of their waste? Without gravity, it would be very challenging to try and use the restroom. The astronauts could float around and so could the waste itself. To hold down the astronauts, they are strapped by their feet and thighs. For the waste flushing toilets are used that contain air instead of water. The waste is pulled away from the body by the airflow of the toilets. The liquid waste is disposed outside and the liquid is evaporated by the severe temperatures and pressure in
Rocket propulsion, of course, includes combustion. Combustion is where a substance reacts with oxygen and gives off heat. The source of oxygen is called an oxidizer …show more content…
Carbon nanotubes are an allotrope of carbon. They take the form of cylindrical carbon molecules and have novel properties that make them potentially useful in a wide variety of applications in nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields of materials science. Properties of carbon nanotubes include high electrical conductivity, very high tensile strength, very flexible; can be bent considerably without damage, very elastic, high thermal conductivity, and low thermal expansion coefficient. Other properties include good electron field emitters and aspect ratio. Electrical conductivity in the nanotubes could be useful in future spacecraft; the body itself could store power and have several functions and bend themselves. That is where the flexibility comes in. The thermal conductivity could be used as an insulator for the extreme temperatures in …show more content…
Plants on earth grow in soil and the roots grow down to absorb nutrients and water. Instead of the roots going in one direction, in space they go in all directions and since there is no gravity everything floats. A “veggie” is a capsule which includes a plant pillow to keep the soil, water, and the plant itself from floating around. The roots can be drawn down by sticking seedlings onto a wicking material that is included in the plant pillow. Sunlight is not available however, it can be replaced by LEDs to give the plants energy. LEDs (light emitting diodes) produce light when it conducts an electric current. The following plants are examples that have been grown in space: Arabidopsis (Thale Cress), Mizuna lettuce, Super dwarf wheat, Apogey wheat, Bassica rapa (Oilseed), Rice, Tulips, Kalanchoe (tropical flowered plant), flax, peas, radishes, garlic, cucumbers, parsley, and dill.
Everyone has to use the bathroom, even in space. So how do astronauts get rid of their waste? Without gravity, it would be very challenging to try and use the restroom. The astronauts could float around and so could the waste itself. To hold down the astronauts, they are strapped by their feet and thighs. For the waste flushing toilets are used that contain air instead of water. The waste is pulled away from the body by the airflow of the toilets. The liquid waste is disposed outside and the liquid is evaporated by the severe temperatures and pressure in