Space: Life and the Science Behind It

Imagine you are in a rocket that has left the Earth's atmosphere and stopped halfway to Mars. You step out of the cockpit into open space to enjoy the view. You take off your spacesuit helmet, take a deep breath, and watch as a moss-covered asteroid flies by. But suddenly you hear a strange sound. Do n't panic, it exploded to the ground in a neighboring galaxy. or just spaceships on an asteroid fighting for territory. It seems like this is what space would look like if there was air in it. Or not? Perhaps the consequences would have been completely different. So, can we survive in a world where there is air in space? In order to fill, for example, the

solar system, we would need a lot of air. At the same time, our system will become 6 billion times heavier than the sun. And this is even more mass than the black hole at the center of the galaxy. This definitely won't go unnoticed by us. But let's put aside friction, gravity, and other laws of physics for a second and consider the ideal. On Earth, the atmosphere is heterogeneous. It has its layers. troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere. And the further from Earth, the more depleted the air becomes. If we fill the solar system with a mixture of gases, they also won't fill space evenly. The nitrogen and oxygen molecules that make up air will be distributed

depending on gravity. For example, near Jupiter, the air layers will be very dense. Because of this, the pressure near the surface of the gas giant will be the same as at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, which is almost 1,000 times greater than on the surface of the Earth. But in addition to such gravity wells, there will be zones in space with thin air and low pressure. Due to the presence of gas through which sound waves can pass, this will be constantly audible on Earth and in space These are the sounds our sun makes. With the advent of air in space, the solar wind will become a familiar background noise. But unlike sound, the sun's heat will not spread as it does in a vacuum. It will become darker and cooler in our solar system

If the temperature at the Earth's orbit level is currently 4°C, then with the presence of air it will drop below zero. But even so, there will be enough heat, light, and oxygen in space to support life. With the advent of air in space, some terrestrial species will be able to expand their habitat. For example, the Rüppel's Vulture. On earth, this bird can fly at an altitude of 11 km. The wingspan of a Eurasian eagle owl is over 2.5 m. With them, it catches air currents and rises upwards. If air appears in space, nothing will prevent a bird from flying, for example, to the moon or even to Venus. But the bird will not be able to overcome the zones of rarefied air. There, the wings simply won't have anything to push off from.

But some insects will be able to feel comfortable in these areas. For example, the Himalayan spider from the stands. It can live in the mountains at an altitude of almost 7,000 m. This spider feeds on insects that are carried to its height by the wind. And since the wind will now blow not only on Earth, but throughout the entire solar system, the Himalayan jumping spider will definitely not be left without food. Even with the advent of air in the solar system, there will still be plenty of extreme places where life is impossible. Almost.

Somewhere near the orbit of Neptune, in a zone of rarefied air where the temperature approaches absolute zero, a tardigrade feels comfortable. These microscopic invertebrates are able to withstand extreme temperatures from -270 to +150°C In addition, they can live for decades without water. And a 2007 study showed that tardigrades can survive even in the vacuum of space. But it's not just microorganisms that love extreme conditions. Braconid wasps live in Jupiter's radiation belts, where radioactive radiation disables spacecraft instruments These insects can withstand an application dose 200 times greater than a

human, up to 1,800 UAH. To survive near the surface of Epiter, you need different abilities. The planet's powerful gravity will create a pressure of 1072 atmospheres there. For comparison, the pressure on the surface of our planet is only one atmosphere, but this does not prevent the emergence of life. Abyssa Brutula is the deepest fish on earth. It can even live in the Dnipropetrovsk Depression at a depth of 11,000 m. However, the Abyssoo Bratula lives only underwater. However, it is quite likely that a similar species could appear on the surface of Jupiter due to an influx of radiation. And these processes would take place not only on Jupiter. With the advent of air in space,

new species would emerge. For example, on asteroids. Stony asteroids with an atmosphere could become covered in moss. This species is unpretentious and can grow even on heather at an altitude of almost 6,500 m. Small rodents may appear on such green asteroids. For example, an asteroid digger. Like a naked mole rat, this rodent can live without oxygen for 30 minutes. So an asteroid digger could survive if it got into a zone of thin air. In addition, this animal does not feel pain or cold and never comes to the surface. Yes, it will be able to protect itself from solar radiation and survive temperature fluctuations, and the double tail allows rodents to better navigate in space

in low gravity. But not only small species will be able to survive on an asteroid. The herbivorous space yak can reach the same size as the Tibetan yak on land, up to 2 m in height, and their weight ranges from 500 to 1500 kg. In these animals, the lungs and heart reach enormous sizes. This allows terrestrial mammals to survive in the thin mountain air at an altitude of 5 km. This also gives space yaks an advantage, because the atmosphere on asteroids is not as dense as on Earth, and the extra pair of legs allows them to maintain stability even in low gravity. And if animals can survive in space,

then comfortable conditions can also be created there for humans Now, to fly into space, you don't need rockets. It's enough to board a regular plane. And in just a couple of hours it will be able to deliver you to Earth's orbit. There you will be able to exit the cockpit into open space and remove your spacesuit helmet. The air density in orbit will be suitable for breathing. True, not everywhere in the solar system can you breathe deeply. Somewhere, rarefied air or critically low temperatures will not allow this, and somewhere, like, for example, near Jupiter, radiation will. But in Earth orbit, you are completely safe and can enjoy the view.

However, the beautiful picture will be destroyed if we put the laws of physics back in place Space is not as empty as it might seem. The thing is, it already has air in it. It's just that there's very little of it and it's not suitable for breathing. The average density of the universe is protons per cubic meter. In the solar system, the density of space is much higher, as many as nine protons per cubic cm. And in Earth's orbit, the density of matter is already 10 quadrillion times higher. But if we change these values even slightly, the changes will be catastrophic. For example, let's pump up the solar system with air to the density of a molecular cloud. Then instead of nine protons in one cubic centimeter there will be from 100 to

1000 particles. And the first thing we'll see is Jupiter turning into a star. The planet's powerful gravity will attract enough matter to turn the gas giant into a full-fledged second sun. And this is bad news for us. The thing is that Jupiter is almost three times closer to Earth than the Sun. This means that our planet will receive additional heat from the new star. The temperature on Earth could rise to Mercury's temperature of 650° C. But you and I have a chance to survive. The thing is that if the density in the solar system increases, Uranus and Neptune will be able to form a full-fledged atmosphere. And thanks to Jupiter catching fire, the temperatures on these planets will no longer be

so extremely cold. Fortunately, the process of transforming a gas giant into a star will take more than one year, and humanity will have time to prepare and move to Neptune. But what if we increase the density of not just the solar system, but the entire galaxy? The first thing we will notice is that the Chumametsky path has become brighter. The point is that stars will have additional fuel, and gas giants, like our Jupiter, can become new suns. But that's not all. Our galaxy will become significantly heavier. The Milky Way will gradually begin to absorb its neighbors. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds will be the first to suffer After them, the Milky Way will absorb the Triangulum Galaxy and finally Andromeda.

True, we are unlikely to feel the consequences of these mergers ourselves. But observing the starry sky will become more interesting. If we increase the density of matter in our galaxy by just tenfold, it will absorb all its neighbors, and humanity will have to move to Neptune to survive But what if the density in space was the same as on Earth? For the air density in the solar system to be the same as on Earth, it would need to be increased 10 quadrillion times. If you do this instantly, the earth will simply tear into pieces. The thing is that we revolve around the Sun at a speed of 108,000 km/h.

The force of friction will destroy our planet in a split second. But if space is filled with air gradually, then at first it will seem to us that the sun has gone out. Its light and heat will hardly penetrate the dense layers of air, but people will not have time to freeze. And not just because Jupiter will become a star. The thing is that the orbits of all the planets will begin to move closer and closer to the Sun. To avoid falling onto its surface, we would have to increase our orbital speed by a factor of one and a half. But even if we manage to figure out

how to disperse the earth, humanity will have another surprise in store: meteorites. As the density and mass of the solar system increase, its gravity will increase. And then asteroids from the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud will fly towards the Sun and the planets of our system. The Earth is facing meteor showers of such force that a new ice age may begin. In addition, the impact of particularly large meteorites can trigger the displacement of tectonic plates and the formation of a new continent. And people won't like it. Earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions will become commonplace for us. In addition, the moon will begin to move in its orbit closer and closer to the Earth until it falls onto its

surface. But we still have a chance. The thing is that the gravity of the solar system will attract not only meteorites. We can also conquer new planets. And perhaps humanity will be able to build a new home on one of them From there we will be able to observe an incredible phenomenon, the northern lights of the heliosphere. Charged particles from the solar wind will collide with nitrogen and oxygen molecules. This will cause new charged particles to appear, creating a red-green glow. But over time, the air-filled solar system will become so heavy that it will fall out of its orbit. Instead of orbiting the black hole at the center of our galaxy, we will begin to approach it. And after a while,

Archer A will tear us to pieces and devour us. If air appears in space, then humanity will have no chance of survival. But what will happen to the universe? If we filled not only our galaxy, but the entire cosmos with air, then a huge amount of matter would be added to it. And this matter, air, has mass and gravity. Under the influence of these forces, the air would begin to compress and collapse, forming huge hot clumps of matter, new types of stars. Over time, these stars would gather into galaxies, and planets would form around them. A new universe would be formed out of thin air.