NASA wants to try to set a fire on the ISS space station: It sounds dangerous, but not for fun

For astronauts on the ISS space station, fire is the most feared enemy. In an oxygen-filled closed environment like the ISS, a very small spark also poses a huge risk to the astronaut's life. Not to mention, in microgravity environments, fires can potentially threaten the entire ISS.

Scary is that, but recently, the US space agency NASA has decided to conduct an experiment that many people heard when it was startled: Igniting fire on the ISS.

According to the MIT Technology Review, astronauts will be required to light fire inside a miniature wind tunnel dedicated to testing on the ISS station in the coming weeks. This experiment sounds very dangerous, but because it is carried out in a closed environment, the possibility of flames spreading and endangering astronauts and ISS stations is almost nonexistent.

This experiment helps scientists learn how fire works and propagates in microgravity.

Of course, astronauts do not light a fire just for "fun". Instead, this experiment is part of scientists' attempt to understand how fire works and propagates in microgravity. In other words, the results from such experiments could one day be used to save astronauts' lives, as well as help engineers create a more suitable living environment during the dance.

It is known that this is not the first time astronauts are required to set fire to space. Such experiments have been conducted since 2008, and have been continuously conducted between 2016 and 2017. The results show that fire can be generated in microgravity. Despite this, the rate of fire spreading to its surroundings in the universe is slower than that of fires on the ground.

With the latest testing coming, the fire will be burned in a miniature wind tunnel the size of a toaster. The main purpose of the test is to discover how the various obstacles and obstacles placed in the wind tunnel will affect the spread direction of a fire when burning in a weakly gravity environment. This test will last for 6 months.

International Space Station.

"The astronauts are very excited to prepare for the experiment, " said researcher Paul Ferkul, who was responsible for the experiment. " The way the fire burns in an atmosphere without gravity is really fascinating ."

It is known that the size of the flame used for testing is relatively small. Previous studies have shown that some materials are more difficult to catch fire in a microgravity environment, even when there is ample supply of oxygen. Of course, this experiment still presents certain risks, especially when it is done on a space station 250 miles above the ground, at a speed 10 times faster than the speed of a bullet. shoot out.