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Solder in Space

crmartin writes "NASA discovers soldering in space. Cool pictures, and some surprises." Nice illustration of how flux works.

5 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Good to know by terrymaster69 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now Science Officer Smith can properly mod the spaceship's PS3/XBOX2/etc. for the long trip to Mars.

  2. Firemarshall Bill sez by Tumbleweed · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Lemme SHOWYASOMETHIN'!

    Let's say, kids, that you're in space, doing all those amaaaaaazing astronaut duties, like, say, performing a SOLDERING EXPERIMENT!

    There you are, performing your scientific experiments on soldering in space, with SUPERHOTSOLDER! Suddenly, your astronaut compatriot, who had the little spaceman's mexican meal packet, farts REALLY POWERFULLY in your direction, distracting your attention, and the SUPERHOTSOLDER goes right into yours eyes, blinding you for life!

    Be careful up there, kids - space is dangerous and full of monsters and SUPERHOTSOLDER!"

  3. Why it spins. by CryptoEngineer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As to why the rosin separates from the solder, I don't know. But I think I know why it spins.

    Heat is being conducted into the rosin ball from the molten solder. The rosin is boiling or vaporising. Initially, this is symettric, but if only a small jiggle occurs, one side of the blob gets cooled by the air, and starts to vaporize at a lower rate. The other, trailing side vaporizes at a higher rate, and in reaction of the ball experiences a push from that side. The movement increases the cooling effect on the upwind side, and the process feeds on itself. Since the rosin blob touches only the liquid solder, there is little or no friction , and these tiny effects can build up.

    The astronaut was lucky the rosin ball didn't come right off and hit him in the eye.

    1. Re:Why it spins. by RobertB-DC · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The astronaut was lucky the rosin ball didn't come right off and hit him in the eye.

      I noticed, though, that the smoke from the heated ball of solder and rosin was clearly "rising" away from the astronaut. I'm guessing that they were using a fan or something similar to blow gases away. I'd be curious to know what happens when you melt this sort of solder without a breeze -- I'll have to google "zero gee flame" to see what the latest combustion experiments have yielded.

      Also interesting... at 0:43 or so (in the Windows Media version), it looks like the guy holding the fan got distracted as the rosin bubble started spinning. The smoke starts moving in other directions, and a small chunk of... something... goes flying off to the upper right of the frame. Wonder what that was?

      --
      Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
  4. Re:Water in a frypan can be similar by delus10n0 · · Score: 4, Informative

    I don't think that is the same thing.. what you're describing is the Leidenfrost effect.

    --
    Not All Who Wander Are Lost