Chapter 1: The Curious Case of Pizza in Space

Recently, my Ukrainian channel received an intriguing question: "What occurs when a pizza is sent into outer space?" A viewer mentioned seeing a video of a pizza delivery into space on a Telegram channel, raising the question of what would actually happen to it or any other food in the vacuum of space. Would it freeze, disintegrate, or undergo some other transformation? Thank you for your interesting query! First, let’s check out the video referenced. (Timecode 5:10) Though it's in Russian, the visuals are what matters most.

The video illustrates that the pizza wasn't actually sent into outer space. Instead, it was lifted by a balloon to an altitude of approximately 30 kilometers. At this elevation, although the atmosphere is thin, it still exists. The generally accepted boundary of space is about 50 miles (over 80 kilometers).

As one ascends, the pizza is likely to freeze and become rock-hard. This is due to the rapid drop in temperature with altitude. Even at 2.5 kilometers, temperatures dip below freezing. Hence, by the time the pizza reaches lower pressure zones, all its liquid components would have frozen solid.

Source: yahoo.com

However, if the pizza were to be ejected through an airlock on the International Space Station (ISS), a different scenario would unfold. Many might assume that the pizza would freeze immediately. This assumption isn't entirely accurate.

As you may know, the boiling point of water varies with the surrounding pressure. Under high pressure, water requires a higher temperature to boil, whereas lower pressure necessitates a lower temperature. This phenomenon is well-known among mountaineers who frequently notice that water boils at temperatures below 100 degrees Celsius at high altitudes.

In the vacuum of space, where the pressure is virtually zero, all the moisture in the pizza would boil away almost instantly, leading to significant loss of its water content within seconds. Following this, the pizza would gradually cool down to an extremely low temperature.

But why doesn't the pizza cool down right away? The primary reason lies in the lack of an atmosphere in space. In our atmosphere, the cooling of the pizza occurs because its molecules collide with air molecules, transferring heat away. In the vacuum of space, there are no air particles for the pizza to interact with, which means it loses temperature only through radiation in the infrared spectrum.

How long would this cooling process take?

To simplify the complex calculations, we can refer to a graph depicting the cooling of a one-meter-diameter pizza from an initial temperature of 37 degrees Celsius to zero degrees Celsius.

As illustrated, it would take roughly 70,000 seconds—around 19 hours and 25 minutes—to cool down. While the pizza will continue to cool further, reaching absolute zero would likely take hundreds, if not thousands, of hours, as the cooling process slows over time. This graph does not factor in solar radiation, which would also impede the cooling of the pizza. Nevertheless, it is inevitable that the pizza will eventually freeze solid!

If you're interested in more articles about space, give us a clap! Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and send in your questions, which I'll address in future articles.

Chapter 2: Fun Experiments with Space Food

In this chapter, we delve into other experiments related to food in space.

The first video title is I Sent A Slice Of Pizza To Space, Then Ate It - YouTube. This video explores the journey of a pizza slice launched into the stratosphere and what happens to it during its flight.

The second video title is I Sent Food To Space, Then Delivered It - YouTube. This video chronicles the adventure of sending food into space and the unique challenges faced during the delivery process.