- News>
- Science
Astronauts working to make water that burns
On Earth we use water to put out most fires, but astronaut researchers on board the ISS are working to develop a special kind of water that actually makes things burn.
Washington: On Earth we use water to put out most fires, but astronaut researchers on board the International Space Station (ISS) are working to develop a special kind of water that actually makes things burn.
The exotic substance, called supercritical water, is neither a solid, liquid, nor gas but rather a "liquid-like gas", a website reported. It is made by compressing ordinary liquid water to 217 times the air pressure found at sea level and heating it above 373 degrees Celsius.
Supercritical water rapidly oxidizes any organic substance it comes in contact with- which in other words mean that it burns it. Supercritical water can be used to aid in waste disposal, both in space and on Earth.
The exotic substance, called supercritical water, is neither a solid, liquid, nor gas but rather a "liquid-like gas", a website reported. It is made by compressing ordinary liquid water to 217 times the air pressure found at sea level and heating it above 373 degrees Celsius.
Supercritical water rapidly oxidizes any organic substance it comes in contact with- which in other words mean that it burns it. Supercritical water can be used to aid in waste disposal, both in space and on Earth.