Did you know that science tells us we have oxygen to thank for the fact that our cars and other metal items don’t fuse together on their own? Research has shown that, in space, similar metals which collide with each other will fuse together into one mass; the bonds that hold them together don’t know their boundaries, and so will merge automatically. This process is known as ‘cold-welding’.
Scientists also tell us that the only reason this doesn’t occur on Earth is due to our oxygen-rich environment. Oxygen helps to protect metals by creating an oxidised layer on all exposed surfaces. This, in turn, acts as a protective barrier, preventing cold-welding from occurring. Luckily, the cold-welding malady doesn’t typically affect most items that we send into space, as they have already oxidised in our atmosphere.
Although this seems like a very small issue, imagine for a moment that we are an alien race which doesn’t require an oxygen-rich atmosphere to live, how difficult it would be for us? Just think of all of the inconveniences which would be caused in modern society. Essentially, we would have to isolate all metal items that come, or could potentially come, into contact with other metal items. Car doors could become stuck over time, screws and bolts in metal devices would be useless. If you crash your car into another car or a lamp-post, you are definitely not going anywhere. Put your latest phone with its metal cover on a metal countertop, and it will stick to it like glue. On the plus side, guns would be obsolete, so too would swords (although some of the great battles over the centuries would be quite funny to watch; with cold-welding, one clash of the swords and that would be it – fused together). The implications are endless.
It does make you wonder though; would this happen with other elements as well, if they originated in space or an oxygen-free environment? Definitely food for thought… not that you would be able to eat it, of course… at least not with metal cutlery – plastic sporks all around!!!
Just another thing that we can thank the trees for helping us out with.
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For more fantastic articles from our latest magazine issue ‘Space’, please click on the below link:
F&F Fall 2019: Space