What would happen to a computer... in space?

[Vya Domus]

Another interesting point of physics to realise, is that space itself doesn't have any temperature - it's neither hot nor cold. Of course, all heat would slowly leak away into space, but having a heater would easily counteract that.

Space isn't devoid of any particles or radiation, you can still sample temperatures in a given volume.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Does it just build up heat and overheat, or does it stay super cold?

If powered or exposed to sun: overheat; if unpowered: super cold. Vacuum is the worst thermal conductor ever.

Satellites are designed with radiative cooling in mind. Just a few months ago, a NOAA satellite was reported having problems with heat retention: New weather satellite has 'serious problem' with cooling sensors

The problem is with 13 of the 14 channels in the infrared and near infrared, which are meant to operate at around minus 350 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 200 degrees Celsius). The imager's cooling system — which uses propolyne — is not maintaining that frigid temperature during the warmer part of each orbit, and so the channels aren't working well about half the time.

 

[qubit]

Space isn't devoid of any particles or radiation, you can still sample temperatures in a given volume.

You're missing the point that space itself is temperatureless. It simply doesn't apply.

 

[Vya Domus]

You're missing the point that space itself is temperatureless. It simply doesn't apply.

Unfortunately I am not missing anything. You are looking at it the wrong way.

Whether you take a cubic meter of air or of space, the same rules apply and as such either one can be sampled in order to obtain a temperature.


There is no such thing as an absolutely empty space in our universe , everything contains at the very least the cosmic background radiation. What you are referring to is simply undefined territory.

 

[qubit]

Unfortunately I am not missing anything. You are looking at it the wrong way.

Whether you take a cubic meter of air or of space, the same rules apply and as such either one can be sampled in order to obtain a temperature.


There is no such thing as an absolutely empty space in our universe , everything contains at the very least the cosmic background radiation. What you are referring to is just undefined territory.

No. I've explained it quite clearly, so I'm not going to go round in circles with you. Just Google it if you don't believe me and then come back and tell me I was right. I Googled it years ago, which is how I know, from a science website somewhere.

 

[Vya Domus]

You can tell me all you want what you googled but it wont make it any more valid.

The lowest temperature in our observable universe is defined by the coldest spot in the cosmic background radiation l, which is present everywhere.

If you want to believe google then there you go :

https://www.space.com/14719-spacekids-temperature-outer-space.html

It explains the exact same thing that I claim.

 

[qubit]

You can tell me all you want what you googled but it make it wont make it any more valid.

The lowest temperature in our observable univers is defined by the coldedst spot in the cosmic background radiation l, which is present everywhere.

If you want to believe google then there you go :

https://www.space.com/14719-spacekids-temperature-outer-space.html

It explains the exact same thing that I claim.

I see that you insist on missing the point and arguing. You're conflating the crap that's in space with the properties of space itself. Whatever.

 

[Vya Domus]

I am not insisting without a reason.

Space has a temperature, everywhere. Truly empty space is nothing more than a mathematical model not found anywhere in the universe.

 

[tami626]

Iron Man froze when he first went to the space, right?

 

[sepheronx]

When NASA took laptops to space, the cooling system was modified to move a larger volume of hot air more quickly (link here). However, due to lower pressure, there is less air molecules to transfer heat to, which means that the modified cooling system ended up having more or less the same effectiveness on the Shuttle in micro-gravity than normal cooling on Earth.

And lack of air (or any kind of gaseous or liquid material surrounding the heatsinks, for that matter) would make cooling impossible, since there would be nowhere to transfer heat to. The computer would overheat and stop working.



Considering how "inexpensive" a SpaceX flight seems to be, that would be actually doable, provided we could throw that kind of money at this "problem" LOL

EDIT:


And some guy wanted Windows to clear the cache on waking up from low power states to avoid data corruption by radiation

Only cheap because heavily subsidized. So sending a laptop to space from spaceX, you are effectively wasting tax payers money.

Then again, it's already happening so why not, right?

 

[cornemuse]

Radiation would fry it.

Also remember, 'In space, "no one can hear you scream'"!

-c-

 

[Tatty_Two]

Hmmmm, depends where in space, if we are talking "outer/deep" space then it would freeze, no way it would work, obviously dependant on where this floating PC was positioned will depend heavily, if in an area between a sun and a cluster of planets then it may get very hot and melt because of solar winds or even gas between stars that can be seriously hot where they are relatively close together, however most of it out there in the deepest blackness would be at the "cosmic background temperature", which is minus 455 degrees Fahrenheit..... either way, all I can see is it melting or freezing

 

[R0H1T]

...

You know, that's actually something I have no answer to. Let's try it.

So who's volunteering to get to the ISS from here

 

[John Naylor]

In space and inside a environment capable of supporting life in space (STP) are two very different things. An object in sunlight will reach 260C... if no sunlighthitting object will soon reach -100C ... go out near Pluto and ya looking at -240C ... at least that's what it was last time I went there.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

 

[fullinfusion]

Not really. It's one of those curious thoughts rolling around in my head that pops up from time to time.

What do you mean by "dead" air? I thought there's no air in space?

fair enough, curiously good thought.

I guess yeah the more I think about it yeah makes sense. No air no friction no nothing, or is there? now you just passed on the curiosity bug onto me that ill be wondering myself for a while now.. thanks lol

 

[dont whant to set it"']

A run of the mill PC in space(ie Cosmos not astronaught see low earth otbit) does not stand a chance against the elements?
LE: astro(or astra) as in star ; Cosmos as in Cosmos.

 

[Aquinus]

If this is a hypothetical question then wouldn't the real question be where? We know about plenty of places it might work and plenty where it definitely won't for one reason or another (heat, em radiation, etc.) This is one of those cases where there are far more places where we probably don't know. The Voyager probes (while barely operational,) are only now getting into the interstellar medium where the impact from our sun is becoming negligible and the few sensors still operational have detected changes to indicate that is the case. What that means for a run of the mill computer? I have no idea. The reality is that we don't even really know what's really out there so we can't even formulate an idea for what might occur.

I guess my main point is that there's far more we don't know about the universe than what we do know.

Spoiler: The real answer

Play Kerbal Space Program and earn the good science.

 

[Bones]

I'd have to guess the same basic thing that happens on the surface of the moon itself, being it's also an object in space - A really big one vs a PC but would be affected in the same way.

The side facing the sun can reach very high temps while the side facing away cools down drastically and the moon as we all know has no atmosphere to conduct heat energy either to or away from it. You'd see a similar temp difference depending on which side faces the sun at the time - If it's spinning then this thermal sunlight vs shade effect is reduced temp-wise depending on "Where the measurement is taken on the object" but still there.

Just my thoughts about it.

 

[SoNic67]

A short history about CPU's used in space:
http://cpushack.com/space-craft-cpu.html

Spoiler:
The Hubble telescope was upgraded to run on a 80486 from the original 80386. You know, that stuff before the Pentium, Pentium II, Pentium III, Core2, etc...
ISS main computer runs on an Intel 80386SX-20 w/ Intel 80387 coprocesor.

And what takes to harden to radiation effects:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_hardening

 

[FordGT90Concept]

A short history about CPU's used in space:
http://cpushack.com/space-craft-cpu.html

Spoiler:
The Hubble telescope was upgraded to run on a 80486 from the original 80386. You know, that stuff before the Pentium, Pentium II, Pentium III, Core2, etc...
ISS main computer runs on an Intel 80386SX-20 w/ Intel 80387 coprocesor.

And what takes to harden to radiation effects:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_hardening

And for every NASA computer in space, they have an identical functioning one on Earth to troubleshoot it.