I asked this question in science class... and my teacher didn't know. So he told me that he would give me extra credit if I found this out. So if you put a piece of steak in the middle of space, lets say for 50 years, would it of gone bad?
2007-01-16 09:28:55 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Probably not, since what causes meat to go bad is usually bacteria or microbes, which don't exist in space.
2007-01-16 09:32:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
What little understanding of space I have is that it is a very very cold place. I would think that your steak would be a frozen rock of meat. I can only guess to it's quality after 50 years but I think that some really bad freezer burn would exist.
2007-01-16 17:33:22 · answer #2 · answered by U-Taker 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Spoilage is caused by bacteria in the meat growing and eating the meat. If they die, there would be no spoilage.
If in the shade in space, it would get freeze dried by the vacuum, which would preserve it. If in the sunlight in space, it would stay warm enough for the bacteria that cause spoilage to live, but the vacuum and radiation would probably kill them anyway.
2007-01-16 17:34:07 · answer #3 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It wouldn't spoil from bacteria, assuming the meat was clean when you launched it. It would dry out. With zero pressure in the vacuum of space, all of the moisture would be vaporized from the meat. You might end up with something like beef jerky. Of course, if it re-entered our atmosphere at orbital speeds, it would become bacon, and finally nothing.
2007-01-16 17:32:58 · answer #4 · answered by Intrepyd 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It would definately become freeze-dried and end up like a hunk of beef jerky (minus the tasty flavorings and salt of course). So in that sense it wouldn't "go bad" but it certainly wouldn't be much of a steak by most people's standards.
2007-01-16 17:38:16 · answer #5 · answered by Yamson 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It would get freeze dried for the most part right away. No bacteria would survive so it wouldn't spoil in the traditional sense. I doubt after 50 years it would be edible after reconsituting it. Plus I imagine over that time dust particles would have hacked throught it as well.
2007-01-16 17:33:19 · answer #6 · answered by KirksWorld 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It would be freeze dried in the vacuum of space.Like liquid nitrogen does to rose,you could crush it to dust particles.
2007-01-17 20:48:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋