[net.columbia] Ice in space

vince@fluke.UUCP (Craig V. Johnson) (09/04/84)

Something stikes me very strange about the waste water vents on the
Discovery being blocked by ice.  How is it possible for ice to exist
(for any length of time) in a vacume?  I have not consulted my
Thermodynamics book for the specifics, but as I recall, water should
immediately vaporize in a vacume.  Even if it did collect into a mass
of ice, I should think that sublimation would cause it to disappear in
short order.  What's going on here?  Are we getting the straight poop?

Craig Johnson
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
{uw-beaver,decvax!microsof,ucbvax!lbl-csam,allegra,ssc-vax}!fluke!vince

henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (09/17/84)

When water hits vacuum, it sort of boils and freezes simultaneously.
My impression is that the vaporization of some of it cools the rest
sharply enough to freeze it.  The ice will eventually sublime into
the vacuum, but this doesn't necessarily happen instantly.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry