this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023
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[–] [email protected] 86 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

As a little nitpick, "extreme pressure" is partially true. We do need "extreme" pressure; not extremely high pressure, but extremely low pressure. We have these series of pumps that are able to remove more and more particles at each step. We have your standard pumps that get rid of most gases, then we have turbomolecular pumps that blow away a lot of the matter that remains, and then we have things like ion pumps, which electrocutes molecules in a vacuum and sucks them out using electric fields. This way, we're able to create better vacuums here on Earth better than Space itself.

And honestly, that's pretty much wizardry to me.

[–] [email protected] 56 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Space is a terrible vacuum. It's full of literally everything.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago

So is my vacuum.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

In that regard Space can no longer be considered to be a vacuum. Not even remotely.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The distance between stuff is so inconceivably huge that it's still a vacuum. Kind of incredible to think about.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

What are you even talking about? I can see loads of stuff right here.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

True vacuum doesn't exist, it's always relative to something else, generally to common human environment.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This is absurdly untrue. Space is VERY empty. The above comment is just plain wrong. CERN has the best vacuum in the world at around 1000 atoms/cc. Deep space is less than 1. Even nebulae have a density far below 1000 atoms/cc, and those are the most dense regions of space.

It may be true that we use vacuum pumps for chip manufacturing that get vacuums less dense than the exosphere, which we like to call space sometimes, but it's definitely influenced by Earth and not a good definition of a space vacuum.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

It's a joke, buddy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

If space was a vacuum then Roger Wilco would be out of work.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Won't anyone think of the molecules!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Huh, I always thought my chamber is way worse vacuum then space (usually about 2×10^-10^ mbar)