2006-10-12 20:02:09 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
You can, but you'd wanna make sure there isn't too much oxygen: otherwise...BOOM!
Also, anything that burns consumes oxygen, so you wouldn't want much stuff to be burning on your spaceship, unless you have plenty of oxygen to breathe AND burn stuff.
P.S. The Space Shuttle and Internation Space Station are spaceships, and you see people in them without oxygen masks. They are breathing the oxygen inside the spaceship. You CAN have air in a spaceship, as long as it's in a tightly sealed environment.
2006-10-12 20:06:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
You could light a candle as long as there was oxygen but it wouldn't stay lit in zero gravity. The wax wouldn't drip down so it would put out the flame. I'm pretty sure NASA has some strict rules prohibiting it as well because if the candle was jerked at all wax would fly everywhere and it would be very dangerous, not to mention the obvious danger of open flame near oxygen and highly combustible material.
2006-10-13 03:08:09 · answer #2 · answered by Kuji 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Dave P - It was on Radio 4 this morning! It was the only one of those questions I could have answered:
Spaceships are ventillated by pure oxygen, and as oxgen is very flammable, lighting a candle will cause all the oxygen in the spaceship to set on fire too - major problem.
2006-10-13 04:30:29 · answer #3 · answered by Trillian 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
This was on the Radio 4 Today programme this morning in an item about university entrance exams.
My answer would be that in the absence of gravity there would be no convection currents caused by warm air expanding and being less dense than cooler air so it rises. The convection currents take away combustion products and supply oxygen.
2006-10-13 03:58:59 · answer #4 · answered by David P 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
No, not neccesarily. But presuming that space ship was in space and thus outside the atmosphere - which means no oxygen - then of course you can't light up a candle since combustion requires oxygen.
2006-10-13 03:20:17 · answer #5 · answered by T Delfino 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Well assuming the Space Ship is in space then it would be because the is no air to feed the flame.
2006-10-13 03:04:24 · answer #6 · answered by Panther 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Matches are not allowed on space ships
2006-10-13 03:32:14 · answer #7 · answered by g30918 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Unlike a cival war submarine witch has a candle. Spacecraft may not have candles!
2006-10-13 03:08:12 · answer #8 · answered by Jeramie L 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Because the matches are wet and NASA security prevented you from bringing your lighter along for the ride.
2006-10-13 03:33:35 · answer #9 · answered by emaxtde 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I know! and its So frustrating when the lights fuse!
2006-10-13 03:16:28 · answer #10 · answered by puffy 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋