Gizmodo is reporting the space agency has an interesting array of topics this time, including 3-D printing, micrometeorite studies, and robotic grippers for grasping and putting objects onto walls.
But the really, really big experiment is NASA’s plan to light a “large-scale fire” in space. For those of you who may think this sort of experiment is foolish, think again. If NASA is to help ensure the safety of future spacecraft and astronauts, they need to create a fire in a spacecraft while in space to see what happens.
They have already selected the “expendable guinea pig” for this experiment, the next Cygnus resupply vehicle to undock from the ISS later this month. After Cygnus undocks, it will move a safe distance, about four hours away from the ISS and on a different orbit. Then ground-based operators will take over, reports News.com.au.
They will execute a command to initiate Spacecraft Fire Experiment-I (Saffire-1). Inside the spacecraft, a sealed box containing a meter-long strip of cotton-fiberglass composite will ignite and burst into flames. “Saffire will be the biggest man-made fire ever in space,” says Gary A. Ruff, NASA’s Spacecraft Fire Safety Demonstration project manager. “Using the Cygnus cargo vehicle to host Saffire offers a unique opportunity to conduct beneficial spacecraft fire safety research using existing mission profiles.”
While the experiment will be taking place in space, there will be no human interference, says The Space Reporter. The temperature, oxygen, and Carbon dioxide sensors will be collecting data on the burn in real time, with Ruff noting the actual burn time may be only 15 to 20 minutes. Additionally, there will be two cameras off to one side of the burning material to capture images of the fire.
There will also be radiometers on either side of the fire to record the heat coming off the blaze. All this information will be returned to Earth eight days later when the Orbital ATK takes control of and de-orbits the hopefully intact spacecraft.
“One of the big questions in fire safety, whether it’s terrestrial or in space, is how rapidly are conditions in a room or spacecraft going to get bad for inhabitants,” Ruff said. Saffire-1 is just the start of future Saffire experiments for NASA. The data from these planned and controlled fires in space will lead to not only better fire protection on spacecraft in the future but also will aid in the development of safer protection gear for astronauts.
Hopefully, the planned spacecraft fire will not take place in sight of the ISS because space is a stressful environment to begin with, and seeing a spacecraft burst into flames could be a bit unnerving.
