A fire on the International Space Station doesn't sound like good news, but worry not -- it's just a test Nasa is running to explore fire safety standards in space.
A sealed box filled with fibreglass will be ignited in a Cygnus supply vehicle due to launch later this month. The supply vehicle will remain a safe distance from the ISS with Nasa monitoring exactly how the fire spreads. While the supply vehicle will enter orbit on 22 March, the fire won't be started until May.
According to the agency, "most controlled flame growth experiments have been limited to small sizes", meaning that this experiment will be the largest ever fire set in space. Instruments will measure flame growth, oxygen levels and more in an attempt to "understand fire growth in microgravity", as well as to better understand how to safeguard astronauts from future hazards.
A variety of different materials will be ignited during the course of the research, including flame-retardant fabrics used for astronauts clothing, Plexiglass window samples and material used to create other structures within spacecraft.
David Urban, principle investigator of the project, said the research would try to answer two questions. "Will an upward spreading flame continue to grow, or will microgravity limit the size?" he said. "Secondly, what fabrics and materials will catch fire and how will they burn?".
The experiment will begin shortly after the Cygnus module arrives at the ISS and will run for a few hours, before remaining in space for seven days and returning to Earth. Additional experiments, which will focus on flame spread, smoke propagation and the detection and suppression of fire, will also take place in the future.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
