Fry French Fries in Space

在太空炸薯条

Frying French fries in space may be possible， according to a recent study by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki， Greece.

On Earth， we have gravity and buoyancy. Gravity makes sure that the oil stays in the cooker， and buoyancy allows the bubbles that come out of the fries to travel upward so that the fries are cooked. In space， which is under microgravity， there is no buoyancy. So scientists for long believed that frying wasnt possible.

The research team first designed a sealed container that could fry the potato safely in zero gravity. European Space Agency （ESA） then took the researchers on a ride. The plane climbed up， and then， at a certain point， headed down just like a roller coaster. There were about 20 seconds of microgravity when the plane reached the highest point， during which the team did tests.

To their surprise， the fries were cooked， and the bubbles were able to escape. This was because when being fried， the water inside the potato turned into vapor. The vapor created pressure when released from the potato. The pressure inside the potato allowed the bubbles to go out and let the oil come in， according to the research paper. It showed that “frying can occur in space”.

希臘塞萨洛尼基亚里士多德大学最近的一项研究表明，在太空中炸薯条或许是可行的。

地球存在重力和浮力。重力将油留在炊具中，浮力使炸薯条产生的气泡向上流动，从而炸熟薯条。然而，微重力条件下的太空中没有浮力。因此，长期以来，科学家们一直认为在太空中炸薯条不可行。

该研究小组首先设计了一个密封容器，以确保在零重力的环境下，能安全地炸土豆。随后，欧洲航天局带着研究人员坐飞机进行实验。飞机向上爬升，然后在某个高度像过山车一样向下俯冲。飞机到达这一最高点时，约能产生20秒时长的微重力环境，以供研究小组进行测试。

出乎意料，薯条被炸熟了，土豆中的气泡竟然能够逸散。根据研究报告，这是因为炸土豆时，土豆内部的水变成了蒸气，这些释放出来的蒸气会产生压力。土豆内部的压力使气泡排出，让油进入。该研究表明，“油炸这一烹饪方式可以在太空中实现”。

This isnt the first attempt for scientists to fry French fries in “space”. Early in 2014， with the help of ESA， a group of researchers conducted studies under various gravities. The agencys large centrifuge can create artificial gravity from 1 to 20 g， with g referring to the gravitational acceleration at the surface of the Earth.

It has four arms and can spin fast. During the spin， things held by the arm are under centrifugal force， which is the source of artificial gravity. The fries were cooked under different gravities from 1 to 9 g.

They discovered that the French fries had the most crispy crust under 3 g. Its interesting to mention that Jupiters gravity is 2.4 times that of Earths gravity. So， French fries may have the perfect taste if cooked on Jupiter， compared with other planets in the solar system.

这不是科学家们第一次尝试在“太空”中炸薯条。早在2014年，欧洲航天局就协助一组研究人员在各种重力条件下进行了研究。该机构的大型离心机可以产生1至20个g的人造重力，其中g指的是地球表面的重力加速度。

离心机有四条机械臂，可以快速旋转。在旋转过程中，机械臂上的物体受到人造重力的作用，即离心力。油炸薯条的实验是在1至9个g的不同重力条件下进行的。

研究人员发现薯条的外皮在重力条件低于3个g时是最酥脆的。有趣的是，木星的引力是地球引力的2.4倍。因此，与太阳系中的其他行星相比，木星上炸的薯条或许味道最好。

Word Bank

bubble /'b?bl/ n. 气泡  v. 气泡；冒泡

The water in the pan was beginning to bubble.

vapor /'ve?p?（r）/ n. 蒸气

spin /sp?n/ v. （使）快速旋转

The plane was spinning out of control.