• Question: Is it cold in space?

    Asked by 964trn48 to Tom, Jon, COLFlight, Beth, Anne on 2 Oct 2015. This question was also asked by 8P form.
    • Photo: Jonathan Scott

      Jonathan Scott answered on 2 Oct 2015:


      Yes and no. When you are close to the sun as we are here on Earth, it is very hot (over 100 degrees Celsius) when you are in sunlight, but very cold (more than -100 degrees Celsius) when you out of the sun. When astronauts perform space walks, their space suits are designed to manage both these extremes of temperature so they can work continuously for long periods of time. However, when you travel far away from all sources of heat in the Universe, it is very, very cold all the time, with temperatures as low as -270 degrees Celsius.

    • Photo: Beth Healey

      Beth Healey answered on 6 Oct 2015:


      The average temperature on Mars is -55C which is actually warmer than the winter here in Concordia! (Typically -70 to -80C).

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