Today I learned that NASA was setting fire in space, literally, as part of an experiment! The experiment will be conducted by setting a cargo ship on fire so that scientists can gather data about how fire spreads in space!
I was a bit surprised because I was under the impression that these were facts already known by the space scientific community but it was not, apparently. And now they plan to burn up the cargo ship operated by U.S. space firm Orbital ATK, The Cygnus resupply craft, on its return back to earth.
So why the need to do it now?
[Photo Credit]
According to NASA, one of the biggest difficulty in controlling fire in space, and crafts in space, was that they were clueless as to its behavior in a no gravity or micro gravity scenario. The project manager for this experiment, Gary Ruff said,
A spacecraft fire is one of the greatest crew safety concerns for NASA and the international space exploration community
So to ensure safety in the future for astronauts, the cargo ship has been prepared with the craft having nine compartments where different types of materials shall be set on fire. Each of these compartments are equipped with a video camera and shall record the fire after being lit remotely.
These new experiments are more extensive than the one which was conducted in June 2016, and different materials are being set on fire, including fire retardant materials like the clothing worn by astronauts.
And oh, the craft is also carrying around 1.5 tons of garbage from the space station, and the video feed is expected to reach earth this Tuesday!
- http://phys.org/news/2016-11-orbital-cargo-ship-departs-space.html
- http://www.space.com/34789-nasa-space-fire-experiment-saffire.html
- http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-11/22/c_135847533.htm
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3957540/Fire-space-experiment-kick-aboard-US-cargo-ship.html
You may also click the down-arrow next to my name (before my reputation score below) to follow me. Or you may just re-steem to share the love! 😊