Mithfindel
Amarr
Ordo Crucis Argenteus
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Posted - 2007.09.23 18:35:00 -
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Edited by: Mithfindel on 23/09/2007 18:36:36
Additionnally, the station climate are likely extremely controlled. Yes, it is close in space, but then again, since there is no matter to speak of, the loss of heat is not that bad.
Heat transfer happens in three ways: radiating, by physical contact, and carried by matter elsewhere (i.e. physical contact, heated matter going somewhere else, again physical contact).
Now, if the ships are painted so that their thermal signature is low, they will not lose much heat. Also, when docked, it is quite possible that they heat up enough that the condensed water begins to evaporate again, and the remnant would likely disperse in space before any notable ice-forming effect.
Physically speaking, the form the substance is found depends on the amount of the substance, the space the substance is allowed to inflate in, and the temperature. Within planetary conditions these three variables are related together according to the formula
PV = nRT
where
P: Pressure [Pascals]
V: Volume of the container [cubic meters]
n: Amount of matter [mols]
R: Constant
T: Temperature [Kelvins]
This isn't applicable to space, since we're talking about (at least near-)infinite volume and (at least near-)zero pressure. (We could just try to deal with it by calling constant volume and zero pressure, but then the only solution is zero temperature, which is not attainable.) But my guess would be that water, when not contained by something, would not make a notable effect on the ships but evaporate into space before cooling enough to form ice in the low-pressure conditions.
In case it would become a problem, and assuming that the ship hulls are made of metal (which is a good conductor) it would be very simple to install heating equipment to warm the armour until the theoretical very thin layer of ice has evaporated.
Athmospherical examples of this include the usage of similar technology in aircraft, though for aircraft the only problem with humidity, I understand, is when flying on a cold weather in rain or in clouds. While the high athmosphere is at parts very cold, it is also very thin, and as such, I don't think that the high-altitude aircraft have a problem with similar issues.
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