Quest for Space Experiment #1: Heat, Humidity, and Radiation

High Tech High Chula Vista

1945 Discovery Falls Dr, Chula Vista, CA 91915
Ms. Meghan White and Ms. Kara Quinlan
Project Manager: Angelica Luceo
Mechanical Engineer: Jordi Molina
Computer Programmer: Iker Reyes
Astrobiologist/Electrical Engineer: Cesar Monarrez
Documentarian: Hana Suiter

Space is a vast void with a lot of discoveries waiting to be found. Heat, Humidity, and
Radiation are all affected and spread in different ways while in space due to many factors.
Some of these factors include the lack of conduction, convection, and more assets to assist th

Our Research

1. What is heat transfer? What is the difference between conduction, convection, and
radiation?

Heat transfers when an object of a higher temperature meets with an object with a lower
temperature. The heat from the higher temperature spontaneously flows to the colder one. The
flow continues until both objects reach the same temperature or thermal equilibrium. The
difference between conduction, radiation, and convection is the way heat is the way heat is
transferred from object to object. In conduction, the heat is transferred from direct contact while
convection and radiation transfers heat without direct contact. Convection uses air molecules or
liquids to transfer heat while radiation uses waves and particles.

1. How is heat transferred in space?

Since there is almost no convection and conduction in space, the heat moves
throughout space mostly from radiation, making radiation the main cause of heat
transferring in space. This is due to the molecules in the atmosphere not being able to
spread and conduct through each other, making heat transfers throughout space almost
 impossible through conduction or convection which leaves the heat waves to create
warmth in that area from radiation.

1. How are spacesuits engineered to retain/expel heat and transfer energy?

Without spacesuits astronauts wouldn’t be able to live for more than fifteen seconds in
space. This is why space suits are designed to keep the astronauts safe while completing
extravehicular activities (activities astronauts perform outside of a spacecraft and out of Earth’s
atmosphere). Seeing that space’s temperature varies in different locations, the suits are able to
insulate heat with heating elements built into them. They also are supplied with water to insure
that the astronauts stay hydrated while on a mission.

3. Does black or white best absorb heat? Why?

Black colored objects absorb more heat than white objects. This is caused by the light
spectrum and electromagnetic radiation that light has. When light hits an object, the object is
actually absorbing a select amount of colors and reflecting the rest and our eyes detect the
colors that are being reflected. Black is created when all of the colors are being absorbed,
storing more energy in the object and thus absorbing more heat. White is created when all of
the colors are being reflected, causing most of the heat in the object to be reflected as well.
 2. What is the black body radiation theory? How does it apply to our experiment?

Black body radiation theory states that all objects and substances absorb all frequencies
of light. Due to sciences thermodynamic laws, the amount of light that the object absorbed must
be equal to the amount it emits/radiates. This applies to our experiment because our experiment
will calculate the amount of energy an object will absorb from light, so acknowledging this theory
is crucial to understanding the results of our experiment.

3. What are the heat transfer coefficients? How does it apply to our experiment?

Heat transfer coefficients are the factors when calculating the difference the solid object
will have on the convection of a fluid and the affect a liquid’s heat will have on the conduction of
a solid object. This information is important to our project because we have to make sure the
conduction from the resistors or wires don’t fry anything in the circuit.

4. What is Planck’s law? How does it apply to our experiment?

Planck’s law states that radiation isn’t distributed continuously, but is

Part 2: Why our Research Matters

1. Why is our research of how heat moves on Earth and in Space needed? What is the relevance of
our experiment (heat and humidity) to humans, our lives, the earth?

Our research of how heat moves on Earth and in Space is needed because it allows us to
understand the way energy moves throughout space. This can teach us th

2. What will be the impact of our research? For our school? HTHCV Pueblo? Community? Scientific
Community?

Our research impacts

 Works Cited

Directions: For each source, cite in MLA format and explain what information you learned from the
source

Your Sources MLA Works Cited What I used/learned from this resource

1 Sixth Edition Giancoli, Douglass, Sixth Edition Physics, Pearson Prentice Conduction, convection, and radiation
Giancoli Physics Hall, 2005

2. How Astronauts Forbes: We found out how astronauts space suits

Stay Warm And https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/05/10/how-astro are able to insulate warmth within using
Safe In The Deep nauts-stay-warm-and-safe-in-the-deep-cold-of-space/#266d5 heaters
Cold Of Space cfc6e41

3. NASA/Marshall NASA: How heat travels through space.

Space Processing https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/chuck Conduction, convection, radiation, and
Headline: Chuck - /heatxfer diffusion
heat transfer
4. Temperature Northwestern University:
System http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/therma
l/2-does-heat-move-differently-in-space.html

10

Electrical Engineer/Computer Programmer

Directions:
1. Use your check off sheet to take out all of your electrical materials and make sure you have
everything
2. Set-up your Time Lapse Filming of your process with the Computer Programmer
3. Use your circuit board lab sheet to build your circuit board
4. Draw/Model out your circuit board below and make sure your model has the following items:
A. Voltage, Resistance, and Current Identified
B. Resistors, Light Bulbs, male/female wires, switches
5. Explain each step of your process with electronics you used and how it works

Your Labeled Model

Step # What you did and what part you used How it works (Voltage, resistance, current)