NASA said its engineers have developed a space flight experiment to test the effects of a large fire in space. For the experiment, the space agency will be setting off a blaze inside an unmanned spacecraft.
There is still little knowledge on how fire will behave in space, so scientists at NASA's Glenn Research Center will conduct three space experiments. One of the three experiments is expected to launch on March 22.
"NASA's objective is to reduce the risk of long-duration exploration missions, and a spacecraft fire is one of the biggest concerns for NASA and the international space exploration community," said Jason Crusan, the director of NASA's Advanced Exploration System.
Understanding how fire spreads and behaves in a microgravity environment provides important insights on the safety of astronauts who live and work in space.
NASA has conducted a series of experiments at the International Space Station (ISS) but the space was limited. They need a bigger experimental setting outside the ISS and in vast space. Enter Saffire.
"Saffire will allow us to safely burn larger samples of material without added risk to the station or its crew," said Gary Ruff, NASA's Spacecraft Fire Safety Demonstration project manager.
Saffire, or the Spacecraft Fire Experiment, consists of a series of experiments to be launched at three different flights.
The team performing the experiments comprises scientists from 11 international and U.S. government agencies, universities and research bodies. The experiment will be conducted after the Cygnus cargo vehicle has offloaded supplies onto the ISS. It will be initiated during the return trip to Earth.
The result of the first experiment, dubbed Saffire-1, will determine how much fire resistance is needed in the ultra-light material used in the spacecraft and also in the gear of astronauts.
NASA aims to acquire a better understanding on what is needed to build better fire detection and suppression systems for its spacecraft. This information is needed before they conduct manned missions in deep space and safeguard the welfare of astronauts on the ISS.
The two other experiments will also be done this year. Saffire-II will study oxygen flammability limits and Saffire-III aims to study another microgravity fire.
