Metal welds itself in space
Cuts · English · @cuts_en ·
Fact of the day: cold welding in a vacuum. AI-generated.
Transcript
0:00 In the vacuum of space,
0:01 two pieces of the same bare metal can fuse
0:04 together just by touching.
0:05 It's called cold welding.
0:07 Down on Earth,
0:08 a thin layer of oxygen instantly coats every
0:11 metal surface and keeps pieces separate.
0:14 But in space there's no air,
0:16 so that layer never forms.
0:18 When two clean metal surfaces meet,
0:20 their atoms can't tell where one piece ends
0:23 and the other begins,
0:25 and they simply bond.
0:26 Engineers have to design spacecraft carefully
0:29 to stop parts from accidentally welding shut.