Narrow Channel Apparatus will measure flame spread throughout thick, flat surfaces and compare the outcomes with those from a device used in the world to evaluate the flammability of spaceflight products.
Material Ignition and Suppression Test consists of a little combustion wind tunnel, a cylindrical product sample, glowing heaters, an igniter, and supporting instrumentation.
Residence Time Driven Flame Spread will investigate unsteady and stable flame spread utilizing thin spaceflight materials. When a fire will go or grow out, varying the density of the test products helps researchers comprehend.
Growth and Extinction Limit will focus on the flame development, decay, and termination over the surface of a solid sphere. This will improve understanding of how thick and round products heat inside and how the air circulation around a sphere affects flame spread.
The Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction (SoFIE) project, a set of experiments that launched aboard Northrop Grummans 17th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, might light the way to a deeper understanding of fire in space. SoFIE will run in the stations Combustion Integrated Rack, which features a chamber where experiments can burn securely.
To demonstrate flame development, decay, and extinction in area, a preliminary test called Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS) burned a synthetic resin on the area station numerous years earlier. The top row shows the flame growing, while the bottom row reveals it heading out. Credit: NASA
” With NASA planning outposts on other planetary bodies like the Moon and Mars, we need to be able to live there with very little threat,” said Paul Ferkul, SoFIE job scientist at NASAs Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. “Understanding how flames spread out and how materials burn in various environments is vital for the security of future astronauts.”
SoFIE will assist NASA choose materials and styles for environments, cabins, and spacesuits. The experiments likewise will assist NASA recognize the best ways to put out fires or smoldering products in space as it prepares to go further and stay longer.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 66 Flight Engineer Thomas Marshburn configures the Combustion Integrated Rack to begin SoFIE operations. Credit: NASA
” On Earth, gravity has an extensive impact on flames, however in the minimized gravity of space, fire can act suddenly and could be more harmful,” Ferkul said.
The stations special microgravity environment makes it possible for scientists to study the real nature of flames separated and unaltered by gravity. The resulting information, which might never be gathered on Earth, can then be applied to mathematical models that forecast how those products would burn in lunar, Martian, or other environments.
” SoFIE constructs on NASAs prior flammability research study,” said Lauren Brown, a job supervisor at Glenn. “Like other flame research studies, this research study will home in on how things fire up, burn, and are snuffed out in space. It will supply a structure for continuing human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit.”
SoFIE consists of 5 investigations to study the flammability of plexiglass, cotton-based materials, and other products commonly utilized in spaceflight.
The Five Experiments
SoFIEs function is to study spacecraft fire security, information from the experiments could help enhance fire security on Earth. The data will add to the existing body of knowledge that could enhance screening tests to evaluate fire-safe products for the house, office, airplane, or other uses.
NASA plans to run SoFIE up until November 2025 and may accept proposals for additional experiments throughout that time.
The Biological and Physical Sciences Division of NASAs Science Mission Directorate provides financing for SoFIE and associated examinations.
Spacecraft Materials Microgravity Research on Flammability will associate Earth gravity flammability test information with data under ventilated microgravity conditions.
Americans can feel much safer in their houses now than decades ago thanks to studies and requirements that have actually removed highly flammable materials in clothes, beds, and furnishings. When picking materials for spacesuits and spacecraft, NASA relies on similar studies and standards to secure astronauts.
Fire acts differently in space. How do they study flammability in these obscure environments?
How do they study flammability in these little-known environments?
To show flame growth, decay, and termination in area, a preliminary test called Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS) burned a synthetic resin on the area station numerous years earlier. Credit: NASA
” SoFIE builds on NASAs previous flammability research,” stated Lauren Brown, a job supervisor at Glenn. “Like other flame studies, this research will home in on how things spark, burn, and are snuffed out in area.