NASA started a fire in space.  Scientists did not expect this

Of course, this isn’t about a fire in space, because – you know – Lack of oxygen in the vacuum prevents the outbreak of fire. We are talking about fires that can occur inside outposts or spacecraft for various reasons, which are different from those that occur on Earth. But what exactly are the contradictions? NASA astronauts decided to check it out as part of the 17th International Space Station supply mission It was implemented on February 19 via the Cygnus drone unit (responsible for the US company Northrop Grumman).

The additional unit has already arrived on the International Space Station, as well as more than 3.7 thousand. kg of supplies, A special chamber called the integrated combustion rack is provided. This is where the project experiments were conducted Solid fuel ignition and extinction (SoFIE). The test consists of starting fires under controlled conditions to see how the fire behaves in an environment with less oxygen.

We know that The more this gas is in a certain area, the stronger the flamesFire will cause more damage (more energy will be produced when burning). It is assumed, in theory, that the lack of oxygen in space makes fires much smaller. Well, that’s partly what it is, but in the course of experiments, scientists have come to some interesting conclusions. above all The flames spread in a slightly different way than those on the groundHence, it affects the spread of fire.

Photo: NASA

NASA experiment shows how flames spread through space

Thanks to the sensors and cameras installed in the built-in combustion chamber, it was also possible to notice The gases accompanying the flame are shaped like a ball, which is related to what is called microgravity. This environment is characterized by the fact that the gravitational acceleration that occurs there is reduced or removed, while the gravitational force itself is still present there.

Scientists have known for a long time that in such conditions it can be acted upon special materialsIt can’t be obtained on the floor, and now it is possible to use such a room for testing “fires in space”. NASA wants to better understand the behavior of fire in this environment, co It will help put out any fire more effectivelyy and create systems that prevent it from happening (for example, as a result of an electronic malfunction).

At the same time, we invite you to listen to the latest episode of the podcast from a technical point of view. This time we talked about the use of new technologies in this area of ​​\u200b\u200blife, as many of us felt strongly in our pockets – waste separation and recycling. Could it be cheaper and what does Polish AI have to do with it? You will find the answer below:

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