Find out why suction cups don't work in outer space
Find out why suction cups don't work in outer space
Learn why the lack of atmospheric pressure in the vacuum of space makes suction cups unusable there.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Transcript
Wouldn't it be great if astronauts could ditch those long, tangle-prone tethers? Suction cups could provide a solution. But would a suction cup actually work in space? To answer this, we need to know how suction cups work right here on earth.
When a suction cup is sealed against a surface and air is squeezed out of the cup, a low pressure region is created inside the suction area. It's actually the atmospheric pressure OUTSIDE the cup, pressing down on the low pressure area INSIDE the cup, that creates the suction.
So what about in space? Space is a vacuum, and there's no atmosphere, and no atmospheric pressure. Because there's no atmosphere, there's no outside pressure to create suction. So, despite their usefulness to us on earth, suction cups can't help astronauts in space.
When a suction cup is sealed against a surface and air is squeezed out of the cup, a low pressure region is created inside the suction area. It's actually the atmospheric pressure OUTSIDE the cup, pressing down on the low pressure area INSIDE the cup, that creates the suction.
So what about in space? Space is a vacuum, and there's no atmosphere, and no atmospheric pressure. Because there's no atmosphere, there's no outside pressure to create suction. So, despite their usefulness to us on earth, suction cups can't help astronauts in space.