why doesn't air leak into space?

Answer 1

The answer of coldflesh is only partially right. The earth's gravity pulls the air towards the earth. Therefore it doesn't leak, at least almost not, because a small part we "lose" each day into space due to subblimation into single atoms. However, Some other planets have an atmosphere, too (in this part "coldflesh" ist wrong), even a much bigger one than on earth. it's just not breathable for us due to poisoness ingredients and temperature (see venus) or way to thin to privide enough oxygen to survive (see Mars)

Answer 2

Suppose you are an astronaut floating outside the space and you accidentally puncture your spacesuit and the oxygen leaked, you will likely to experience these consequences. If you don't try to hold your breath, exposure to space for half a minute or so is unlikely to produce permanent injury. Holding your breath is likely to damage your lungs, something scuba divers have to watch out for when ascending, and you'll have eardrum trouble if your Eustachian tubes are badly plugged up, but theory predicts -- and animal experiments confirm -- that otherwise, exposure to vacuum causes no immediate injury. You do not explode. Your blood does not boil. You do not freeze. You do not instantly lose consciousness. Various minor problems (sunburn, possibly "the bends", certainly some [mild, reversible, painless] swelling of skin and underlying tissue) start after ten seconds or so. At some point you lose consciousness from lack of oxygen. Injuries accumulate. After perhaps one or two minutes, you're dying. The limits are not really known. You do not explode and your blood does not boil because of the containing effect of your skin and circulatory system. You do not instantly freeze because, although the space environment is typically very cold, heat does not transfer away from a body quickly. Loss of consciousness occurs only after the body has depleted the supply of oxygen in the blood. If your skin is exposed to direct sunlight without any protection from its intense ultraviolet radiation, you can get a very bad sunburn.

Answer 3

To a slight degree, it does. But mostly, gravity is strong enough to retain the air because few of the molecules reach escape velocity. However, light molecules such as hydrogen and helium (and to a lesser degree, methane) are light enough to escape over time. The mathematics can be found in something called Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution.

Answer 4

Actually, a very very minute amount does leak into space (on the order of molecules per year).

Answer 5

There is a layer of gas on the outer layer of Earth called atmosphere which also protect the Earth from the Sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.It absorbs sunlight from the sun to help man in work and also provide light.
However,it is depleting and there is a hole over the Antarctica due to some products which produce a harmful gas called Chlorofluorocarbons.Which,in short,we called it CFC

Answer 6

The earths gravity is powerful enough to pull the air towards it. That why we have an atmosphere and other planets dont.

Answer 7

The gravitational force of our planet holds our atmosphere around it.

Answer 8

Think of the ozone layer...which has an apparently fluctuating 'hole' in it.

Answer 9

IT does!