Bubble in Space!

[Eighteeteewhy]

I generally lurk in here so go easy.

It's a question that's been on my mind for a while, what would happen if were to blow a regular soap bubble in space?

Would it keep on expanding forever? Also would it be a perfect sphere as there's no pressure/gravity to affect it?

Quite random I know.

@

[ewenm]

I reckon the surface tension that keeps the bubble in shape wouldn't be strong enough to contain the air against the vacuum and it would instantly pop.

[jmorgan]

No pressure so the soap solution boils off?

[Blackpuddin]

Aw, I got excited by the thread title.

[Dogwatch]

Sorry to be practical but you couldn't blow one yourself - the moment you stepped out of the Starship your lungs would be emptied. Not sure if you'd have a lot of success with (say) an air bottle and some bubble mixture but might be interesting to watch!

[Alfanatic]

If you form the bubble in an atmosphere and then try to send it into space, it will pop unless the surface tension of your soapy solution is strong enough to hold the internal pressure (which it won't be).

If you try to form the bubble in space, Google thinks that there will be a race to see if the water in your soapy solution boils or freezes first. In either case, it seems you will not have an opportunity to blow the bubble.

[maffski]

You stick some solar panels on it and rent it out to space scientists:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/11/spacex_big...

[matt0677]

It's been done - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/23/nasa-astr...

Not in the harsh vacuum of space but the cosy zero-g environment of the ISS...