Since there is no air in space how is heat transfered to the outside of a spacecraft from the sun?

Question

If the answer is radiation please explain how that works.

Answer 1

Photons from the sun collide with electrons and atoms in the surface of the craft, imparting a velocity. When the electrons and atoms collide with others, and the latter with still others many times, the kinetic energy eventually diffuses throughout the entire structure. This process is referred to as "thermalization" and the result is known as "heat".

Answer 2

There are three types of heat transfer: conduction, convection (truly a type of conduction), and radiation. In the simplest of terms conduction is the heat transfer through a solid, convection is heat transfer through a gas aided by the movement of the gas due to the differences in temperature and radiation is the transfer of heat via energy waves (the visible light from the sun is a type of this energy).

Radiation can travel through any object that does not absorb it (the ability of an object to have radiation pass through it is called transitivity) or reflect it (Reflectivity, a black body does not reflect any energy and that is why blacktop gets so hot). Because the energy is transferred in waves there is no need for a medium (such as air).

A space craft will absorb the energy emitted from the sun based on its ability to absorb the radiation at the various wavelengths, or its Absorptivity (I’m not making these terms up by the way).

This is how your microwave heats your hot pockets up. The energy is transferred to the “heating sleeve” by high energy waves, the sleeve heats up and emits the radiation mostly toward the food. The shiny surface helps emit the energy and reflect any energy that does not get absorb back toward the food. Any surfaces of the food that contact the sleeve also gains energy (heat) by conduction.

Answer 3

The heat is not in the air - the sun's radiant energy heats the surface of the spacecraft through the vacuum of space. There are three forms of heat energy transfer - radiant, convective and conductive. Radiant energy is a high level of energy that heats surfaces regardless of air temperature, like the coils in your toaster. The air gets hot, but it is not the temp of the air that toasts your bread, it is the radiant energy from the coils. Convective heat is that which is acquired from a hot surface, like the hot air coming out of your hair dryer. Conduction is the heat that travels through a solid object, like when the spatula gets hot from sitting in the frying pan.

Answer 4

Radiation is like light . In the space craft when they were on the trip to the moon ,they would start the space craft to rotate which they called the rotatory mode. Prevents parts from getting very hot or very cold.

Answer 5

By preventing the heat to get in. Thermoshielding is just for that and in this aspect the spacecraft is a refrigerator.

Answer 6

Energy doesn't need the medium of air in order to be transferred. It passes through the vacuum of space and heat energy will warm anything in its path, despite the lack of air.

Answer 7

The same way the the sun heats the Earth. Except the last several miles, the distance between Sun and Earth is vacuous space.

see more here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_energy

Answer 8

definite, extremely, to both questions. warmth may be transmited in distinct procedures, in many circumstances simplified into convection, conduction and radiation. Convection & conduction don't be conscious in 'empty' area, because thee is not any medium (e.g. air) to habit and convect. yet radiation passes extra extremely with the help of area tyhaan it does with the help of an ecosystem, the position it may be absorbed, scattered, and so on. So the nice and cozy temperature radiated with the help of the solar (interior this kind of infra-pink 'mild', fantastically) is much in area. that's in part why area probes are frequently wrapped in what sounds like aluminium foil - to replicate warmth faraway from delicate gadgets. Likewise mild. image voltaic seems brighter in area than it does on earth, because it isn't messed round with the help of our ecosystem.

Answer 9

radiative heat(heat from sun) does not need air or any medium to travel.