Trying to burn Oreo cookie

[u/More_Impression_4942]

[u/RinHW]

Its ablative cooling, so the cookie does get destroyed in the process. You can see how the flame changes colour when it hits the cookie, that's caused by cookie particles ablating away and absorbing a lot of the heat in doing so.

It is common for rockets to use ablative shields. And i do believe spacex uses this in combination with heat tiles. The last test they did resulted in a rather hot interior, turning the rocket into a brazen bull. So maybe oreos would be an improvement.

[u/clintj1975 → u/RinHW]

I want to see what happens if you toss an Oreo from the ISS now. Would it survive reentry?

[u/ItCat420 → u/clintj1975]

I think most things would, it’s generally the impact that is the problem.

Edit; alright I’m wrong, I get it.

[u/Alty__McAltaccount → u/ItCat420]

It would need to be large enough. Like an asteroid would ablate mostly away and burn up in reentry (or just entery since it didnt start off on earth) and those are rocks. I think most meteors that are found are mostly metal as well (like the iron bits that can absorb the most heat). An oreo cookie would probably burn all the way up unless it was like the world record largest oreo cookie. Im sure someone could do the math to figure out how large an oreo cookie would have to be to make it from space to hit the ground.

[u/plopliplopipol → u/Alty__McAltaccount]

ask xkcd

[u/clintj1975 → u/Alty__McAltaccount]

I'm now trying to convince myself if a standard Oreo is light enough, relative to surface area, that it could slow down to reasonable speeds before it vaporized.

[u/Alty__McAltaccount → u/clintj1975]

For simplicity you could assume it is a spherical cookie with a creme filling so it would take the heat evenly. The disk shape would flip around and if it falls edge on the cream filling is unprotected and the filling and the cookie part would react to the heat different. From the video we only see the cookie part surviving and not any of the effect on the filling.

[u/clintj1975 → u/Alty__McAltaccount]

That would be like something out of a cartoon. Random person finds an Oreo wafer, completely stripped clean of creme filling, miles from civilization.

[u/CardiologistGlass550 → u/Alty__McAltaccount]

Answer from chatgpt: The size and structure of an Oreo cookie required to survive re-entry into Earth's atmosphere would depend on several factors related to heat resistance, structural integrity, and aerodynamic forces. Here's a breakdown of the key considerations:

1. Re-entry Heating and Ablation

The cookie would need to withstand temperatures exceeding 1,500°C (2,732°F) caused by atmospheric friction.

Materials with high heat resistance, such as ceramic or metal coatings, might need to be integrated into the design.

1. Size and Mass

Larger objects generally survive re-entry better because they lose heat more slowly and have a higher chance of reaching terminal velocity before burning up.

A small Oreo-sized object made of regular cookie material would likely burn up quickly. To survive, the cookie might need to be at least a few meters in diameter, depending on its composition and re-entry speed.

1. Aerodynamics

A streamlined or shielded design could reduce heat buildup and ensure a stable descent.

It may require a protective shell or heat shield.

1. Reinforcement

The cookie’s composition would need reinforcement to withstand extreme mechanical stresses. A steel or carbon-fiber lattice embedded within a "super-cookie" structure might help.

Hypothetical Size:

A regular Oreo (~4.6 cm in diameter) would not survive, but an Oreo designed for survival could be roughly 2–3 meters in diameter, with added heat-resistant layers and a structural framework.

TLDR: 2-3 meters in diameter with added heat resistant layers and a structural framework

[u/j_grinds → u/CardiologistGlass550]

ChatGPT is incorrect about the cause of re-entry heating. The vast majority of re-entry heating is due to atmospheric compression, not friction.

[u/CardiologistGlass550 → u/j_grinds]

Ah.

[u/Alty__McAltaccount → u/CardiologistGlass550]

I would consider adding heat resistant layers cheating. The goal would be a cookie of sufficient size that you could drop it from the ISS (or just space) and recover it upon impact and be able to eat it. So inclusion of inedible parts would make it no longer a true cookie and only something "shaped like a cookie".

[u/CardiologistGlass550 → u/Alty__McAltaccount]

Yeah, but ChatGPT doesn't care, so I'll re ask

[u/CardiologistGlass550 → u/CardiologistGlass550]

ChatGPT explanation: An Oreo made entirely from its standard ingredients (sugar, flour, cocoa, oils, and similar components) is unlikely to survive atmospheric re-entry, regardless of size. The main reasons are:

1. Material Properties of Oreo Ingredients

Oreo ingredients are organic and have low melting and combustion points.

At the temperatures of re-entry (~1,500°C or higher), these materials would burn, melt, or vaporize almost instantly.

1. Scaling Challenges

Making a larger Oreo would increase its thermal mass, which could delay heating slightly. However, the cookie's material would still reach ignition or combustion temperature before re-entry forces could slow it down sufficiently.

Even a massive Oreo (say, 100 meters wide) would not provide sufficient insulation or structural integrity to survive.

1. Heat Dissipation

Oreo ingredients lack the thermal conductivity or insulation properties to dissipate heat effectively. Unlike engineered heat shields that ablate or reflect heat, the cookie would simply char and disintegrate.

Conclusion:

Even if scaled to a massive size, a pure Oreo made of its standard ingredients would not survive re-entry due to the extreme heat and aerodynamic forces. Survival would require non-standard modifications, such as integrating materials not found in Oreos, like a protective coating or heat-resistant layer.

Would you like a creative alternative explanation or visualization?

Visualization:

Here’s how the process might look visually:

1. Stage 1: Entry A massive Oreo-shaped disk enters the atmosphere, initially intact, surrounded by a glowing plasma as friction heats its surface.

2. Stage 2: Combustion The outer edges begin to char and ignite, emitting a trail of burnt cocoa particles. The creamy filling bubbles and explodes outward, creating a short-lived, sugary fireball.

3. Stage 3: Fragmentation The cookie fractures into smaller, glowing pieces, burning up completely before reaching the ground.

Why It Can't Survive:

The Oreo's structure and ingredients are fundamentally unsuited for re-entry survival. To withstand atmospheric heating:

High thermal mass and resistance: Oreo materials lack the ability to absorb or dissipate heat.

Structural integrity: The cookie lacks cohesion at high temperatures and would crumble under aerodynamic forces.

[u/Alty__McAltaccount → u/CardiologistGlass550]

Why It Can't Survive:

The Oreo's structure and ingredients are fundamentally unsuited for re-entry survival. To withstand atmospheric heating:

High thermal mass and resistance: Oreo materials lack the ability to absorb or dissipate heat.

Structural integrity: The cookie lacks cohesion at high temperatures and would crumble under aerodynamic forces

Oh well I guess thats just the way the cookie crumbles.

[u/thefrenchguysaidwii → u/Alty__McAltaccount]

A giant quadruple-stufd Oreo