• Question: In space if you were to take say a strawberry would all of the liquid be sucked out of it.

    Asked by buddingscientist to Nazim, Leila, Catherine on 15 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Catherine Rix

      Catherine Rix answered on 15 Mar 2012:

      If you put a strawberry in space all of the water inside the cells would evaporate, you would get a freeze dried strawberry!

    • Photo: Leila Battison

      Leila Battison answered on 15 Mar 2012:

      Because space is pretty much a vacuum, there’s a really strong gradient from no molecules in space, to lots of molecules in the strawberry. So to even out the gradient, all the loose molecules in the strawberry, mostly the water, but some of the proteins and vitamins too, will be sucked out and evaporate in the vacuum. So you’ll get a crinkled up dried strawberry that probably isn’t as tasty as a normal one 🙁

    • Photo: Nazim Bharmal

      Nazim Bharmal answered on 21 Mar 2012:

      A little bit. Some of the water in it would evaporate, but it would also quickly turn into ice. Then you’d have a frozen berry. Eventually, a lot of the water would sublimate (turn from ice into steam) but I expect you might well have a bit trapped in the centre of the berry forever.

Comments

  • Photo: cherries2323

    cherries2323 commented on :

    Doesn’t space food have water taken out of it?

    • Photo: Catherine

      Catherine commented on :

      Yes you are right. The reason a lot of food for space freeze dried is to prevent it from going bad. Food goes bad when bacteria and other microorganisms start to grow in it. By removing all the water this stops the bacteria from growing so the food keeps for much longer, which is important is space as you can’t just pop to the shops if your dinner has gone mouldy!