Slashdot Mirror
Sochi Olympic Torch Taken On Historic Spacewalk
rtoz writes "Two Russian cosmonauts have taken the torch for the Sochi Winter Olympics on its first historic spacewalk. Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky took the unlit version of the torch through the hatch of the International Space Station. The Olympic torch has been carried into space twice before – in 1996 and 2000 – but it has never left a spaceship. It was not lit aboard the space station as this would consume oxygen and pose a risk to the crew."
It is the flame which represents the continuity with the ancient games. An unlit torch doesn't qualify as anything but a gold plated unlit torch.
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
Isn't fire just photons? Is it even effected by gravity?
Fire is generally caused by the exothermic oxidation of fuel. If the oxidizer is air, then convection is required to ensure a continuous replenishment of the oxygen. For most fires this convection is induced by gravity pulling in fresh air as the hot air rises. A candle, match, or lighter will not work in zero gravity without artificial convection (such as a fan).
Now the funny thing would be if he accidently dropped it floating in free space. I could see web sites, such as when will the Olympic Torch will be overhead. Or bets that it will loose orbit and crash land in the Olympic fire pits just as the Olympics start. Now that would be worth a gold metal in mathematics.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Consider the symbolism. From Ancient Greece to the orbit, we've come a long way as species.
No, unless you significantly alter its speed. ISS orbit slowly decays, but if it were to ever really hit the atmosphere at the speed it's traveling, it would burn out fast. This is intentional to ensure that most stuff we launch into orbit never makes it back as a kinetic projectile.
Ummm, no. You don't get to select both the altitude and speed of a circular orbit: one determines the other. Kepler and all that.
May I direct you to: Can a Candle Burn in Zero Gravity?
(The short answer is "yes, but strangely.")
See also: Video (shot with a Russian potato) of a candle burning on Mir.
Kid-proof tablet..
The 'flame' is spherical but quickly goes out since there is no convection to replace the CO2 with fresh oxygen.
The original poster said "The Olympics".
Cites for Sochi:
Billions stolen in Sochi Olympics preparations. The opposition alleges that Putin's buddies have stolen US$30b from the Sochi preparations (over half the $54b budget.)
"Corruption and censorship cast shadow over Russia's Games". Corruption, censorship and human rights violations.
Russia Cracks Down On Journalists, Activists Exposing Corruption Ahead Of Sochi Olympics. Putin's response to corruption claims, shoot the messengers.
And more generally:
Wrestling with corruption at the Olympics. Gives a more general overview of the long history of Olympic corruption. Put simply, it's baked into the DNA of the entire organisation.
Science is all about firing a drunk pig out of a cannon just to see what happens.
That's not an orbit, that's hovering on retrorockets.
"A week in the lab saves an hour in the library"