Does ice melt in space?

[ninso]

This question was bothering me for a long time

Dose ice realy melt in space ? :wave:

 

[dividebyzero]

Water transitioning from a low energy state (ice) to a high energy state (liquid) requires the input of energy. The closer you are to an energy emitting source (i.e. the Sun, tectonic forces etc) the less likely you'll find ice...likewise the more isolated from an energy source a compound is, the more it will move towards a low energy state (entropy)- you wont find liquid water floating around in deep space when there is no energy source to keep it at the high energy level it needs to be liquid.

Not sure why the possibilty of melting ice should "bother" you...were you expecting a tsunami from outer space?

 

[Zen]

Maybe ninso is referring to let's say for poo poo & giggles one was to blast of into outer space and takes some ice cubes up with him, I know they would be melted after a while, but say ninso achieves orbit, gets into a space walk suit and takes one of his ice cubes that he made in his home freezer with him into space, maybe he's asking if that ice cube will melt or stay the same frozen ice cube for all time.

I don't really know what ninso was really asking here, I'm just speculating!

 

[mailpup]

In space water would likely sublimate instead of melting to liquid form. Of course, it would depend on the circumstances.

 

[learninmypc]

If you trust yahoo

or Google ?

 

[LNCPapa]

Read up on this a bit - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vapor_pressure

 

[ravisunny2]

or this : http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem00/chem00402.htm

 

[SNGX1275]

In space water would likely sublimate instead of melting to liquid form. Of course, it would depend on the circumstances.

I thought that too. But then I thought about comets.

 

[dividebyzero]

I thought that too. But then I thought about comets.

That's kind of my initial thoughts on the OP's question, along with satellites (moons) and planets further out than our own......and, of course, those gigantic alien spaceships sitting on the dark side of those planets waiting to terrify the human race ( I know that the first things I need to do after travelling for ever to get to a vacation destination are to mutilate livestock and subject the resident mobile-home dwellers to a rectal probe...stands to reason that vastly more intelligent spacefaring cultures would want to do likewise).