Motion in a total vacuum ?

Question

Someone told me that a blown up balloon will not move in a vacuum when the end of it is released. If this is true, how is space travel possible?

Peter K (or anyone else),
How would you steer a space craft in space and bring it to a stop at it's destination?

Answer 1

When you shake up a bottle of coke you create an area of higher pressure inside the bottle due to carbon dioxide gas being released. When you open the bottle the higher pressure will want to escape to an area of lower pressure such as our atmosphere or even outer space.
The same thing happens with a rocket. When it ignites its engines it creates an area of high pressure behind it and the rocket wants to escape this area of higher pressure in to an area of lower pressure which is in front of the ship. I hope this helps. Have a good weekend.

A spaceship is able to slow down and steer in outerspace because it has smaller rockets on the sides and front of the spacecraft.

Answer 2

well, a blown up balloon would never float in a vacuum, because anything you use to blow up the balloon will be more dense the the "air" around it (there is no air!). If you let go of the end of the balloon, it would fly around the vacuum from the force/pressure of the air blowing out.

Space travel is possible the same way: the thrust of the rockets creates a force outward which then makes the ship moves. Also, it should be noted that space isn't a vacuum. Yes, particles can be very, VERY far away between galaxies, but they do exist.

Answer 3

I do not think you can have a blown up balloon in a vacuum.

In a vacuum the balloon would expand until it either reached the limits of the vacuum container or burst as it would when you have blown it up to much.

If the balloon is placed completely in the container open it would not expand since the vacuum would equalize on the inside and outside of the balloon.

Any balloon I have blown up with air will not float, it falls to the ground when released. Only balloons inflated with helium or other lighter than air gas will float.

Having said all that I do believe, if it were possible to have a balloon in a vacuum, it would move if the end were released due to the same forces which move the balloon in air when it is released.

Answer 4

First assumption =Space is a vaccum in the sense it has no atmosphere.
It is not a vaccuum in the Sense that it contains a substance that is responsible for hanging the moon, the earth and the stars suspended as we observed them.
The Earth,certainly is not hanging on nothing.Therfore it is the Substance contained in space that causes motion due to the Gravity Power stored in it.
Galaxies are all travelling in Space ,including the Milky way along with everything that is in it.
Basically in space it is impossible to bring any mass to the point that its devoid of motion. Therefore when a spacecraft is moving in space it cannot be stopped only slowed down. The reason is that inertial motion independent of gravity just does not exist within the structure of space in this Universe.

Answer 5

Someone told you wrong.

In a vacuum, a balloon would not have buoyancy. It would not float "upwards" as it does in air.

However, if the tied end were opened, the air escaping from the opening would propel the balloon in the direction opposite the escaping air. Just like the exhaust of a rocket propels it in the opposite direction. That's Netwon's second law: for every action, an equal and opposite reaction.

Answer 6

Space craft aren't powered by balloons. We are still using old fashioned solid rockets. We are still developing ways to travel great distances in less time or within our lifetimes. One possible design is the interstellar ramjet: it sports a huge 400-500 mile radius scoop in front that captures atoms in space, since they are farther apart, and uses them to accelerate the vessel to close to the speed of light.

Answer 7

The gas ejected works the same way as a rocket. If you didn't tie a knot in the end then it would fly away just like they do on Earth. Only difference is it will probably go much faster without any wind resistance and it won't stop when it is deflated.

Answer 8

a blown up ballon will move in vacuum when the end of it is released.
even faster. will not zip around,but will go straight.
The size of the ballon in vacuum, will be bigger than in normal space.limited by the strength of the material of the ballon.

Answer 9

place a dot at the top of a peice of paper and you want that dot on the bottom,whats the quickest way,not a straught line but fold the paper in half.space travel is the same