NASA To Set ‘Large Scale Fire’ In Space
The US Space Agency NASA officials said that they will test the effects of a large fire in space by setting off a blaze inside an orbiting unmanned spacecraft. Earlier, NASA has set of tiny controlled fires in space but never tested how large flames react inside a space capsule. This research is very important and “is crucial for the safety of current and future space missions.”
Gary Ruff, one of the engineers heading the experiment at the US space agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio said the following statements. The final goal is to measure the size of the flames, how quickly they spread, the heat output, and how much gas is emitted. The experiment is said to be conducted in an Orbital ATK Cygnus capsule.
The Cygnus capsule is scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, atop an Atlas 5 rocket on its final mission on March 23. The test will be done once the capsule undocks from the ISS and is far away from the space station, ground control will trigger the fire on board. The results of this experiment will determine how much fire resistance is needed in the ultra-light material used in the spacecraft and the astronaut’s gear.
“Understanding fire in space has been the focus of many experiments over the years,” said Ruff. While many “small, centimeter-sized fires have been lit in space before, to really understand fire, you’ve got to look at a more realistic size.” Temperature, oxygen and carbon dioxide sensors will record data on the fire, which is expected to last about 20 minutes, in real time.