A (test) fire in space!
Setting a fire on a spacecraft on purpose may sound like a bad idea, and it would be unless it’s being done to prevent a future problem. Engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH have created an experiment to increase the understanding of how an accidental fire might act in a spacecraft. The first of three planned microgravity experiments will launch on March 22nd. An Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo vehicle will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with supplies for the International Space Station (ISS). Once it arrives at the ISS, the cargo will be offloaded and the experimental module will remain onboard the Cygnus vehicle. When the vehicle leaves the ISS and begins its return to Earth, the fire experiment will take place.
The fire experiment will take place in a 3′ x 3′ x 5′ module where a sample material will be ignited to asses a large scale microgravity fire. The first experimental fire test material will be 16″x 37″, while the second test is more about oxygen flammability limits and will use smaller pieces of material. The third test will be another large scale microgravity fire. Within the modules are sensors and cameras that will document the experiment back to the engineers at Glenn.
This will be the largest man-made fire ever in space and thanks to it being tested aboard a craft with no humans, it has a minimal risk. The results from this series of tests will be critical for extended space flight to an asteroid and Mars.
