which way does a flame burn in space?

Answer 1

It won't burn without oxygen in a vacuum. If you mean, in an enclosed space with air like aspacecraft in zero-gee, the astronatus have already tried that experiment with a candle on board the space shuttle. This is what happens:

The flame forms a sphere instead of the tapered-flame shape we are familiar with. The tapered flame shape that we see on candles on Earth is due to convection of air currents which depend on gravity which pulls the cooler (denser) air downward and displaces the hotter (less-dense) air upward. That's why stars are spherical, too.

Around the surface of the sphere, there is wax vapor and fire and smoke. As more wax burns, the flame seems to go out, but it has not really gone out. It is just surrounded with smoke and being cut off from oxygen. There is still wax melting and hot wax vapor burning very slowly, and it will stay hot for quite a while. Eventually, if you don't disturb it, it will go out, but it can stay hot for a long while.

[This is why there has to be air circulation systems aboard the space shuttle, or the astronatus would asphyxiate, smothered in their own carbon dioxide from their breath! They have to have something to circulate the air. On Earth, it happens by heat and gravity, just like the candle flame, so we don't die in our sleep. Or we roll over, but you can't do that in free-fall.]

Now, suppose you wave the candle...? If the fire has not yet gone out, the spherical shell of smoke and oxidized wax vapor is broken, and oxygen can reach the hot wax vapor again. There is a big POP! as all the pent-up hot wax vapor suddenly ignites, and the combustion product (smoke) expands in all directions!

This is why fire is so dangerous aboard a space ship: it can look like it has gone out but is not really out, and if more oxygen hits it, there can be an explosion.

Answer 2

In space a flame would not burn as there is not enough of an abundance of oxygen molecules for a flame to exist unless you are talking about a flame in something such as the space station where a flame will actually usually burn itself out unless it is a flame on something like a gas burner where there is sufficient gas flow to disrupt the flame because if you were to light a match or a candle on the space station the flame would completely encircle the ofject burning, therefore cutting off its oxygen supply and would therefore extinguish itself.

Answer 3

Burning is a process which requires a continuous supply of oxygen. Since there is no Oxygen in space therefore it would be safe to say that a flame will NOT burn in space.
To try out whether oxygen is needed for burning or not, you can carry out a small experiment. Light a small candle and invert a glass over it. The flame will extinguish after a couple of seconds as soon as the oxygen supply runs out.
There you go, you have your answer!

Answer 4

The asker has forgotten to include the proviso that the flame is in an enclosed environment containing air. What they are actually asking is what is the effect of the absence of gravity in space on the direction in which a flame spreads?

This more specific Q. was answered last week in another category where the first few answerers were convinced that where there was no gravity there was no oxygen!!!! What are they teaching in science nowadays?

The answer is that the flame would be spherical, because where there is no gravity there is no 'up'!

Answer 5

Of course you can have a flame in space, you just need to bring the oxygen with you....
Derrrr rocket engines do it !
Check the next Shuttle liftoff - there's a flame at the end and it doesn't stop burning just cos the atmosphere gets left behind
They do it under water too with acetylene, just mix it with oxygen and light 'er up.

Answer 6

It can't burn as there is no oxygen, a flame need three things to burn, fuel, heat and oxygen, if anyone is missing then the flame goes out. One of the basic teachings in fire awareness.

Answer 7

Boy did everyone miss the point!

For the people who can't think outside the box, a flame will burn from it's origin in all directions. Since there is no gravity then HEAT can't rise. Only in a gravity environment wil a flame burn upwards.

This test has been done in space (IN THE SPACE SHUTTLE FOR ALL YOU DUMMIES). Space fires are the worst because they don't travle in a predicted path, they radiate outwards. So, a fire in space (space ship you dummies) is the worst known type of fire.

Answer 8

Would a flame be able to burn in space?

Answer 9

As there is no oxygen Im guessing the flame wouldnt burn at all???

Answer 10

Look at he sun and the stars, that's flames in space.