Space missions contribute a great deal to scientific advances, even though they are not at all economical. So why would NASA want to set fire to its own ships in space?
Being thousands of miles from home, observing the earth from space carries many risks, and that is why astronauts have to go through both physical and mental training.
Space lacks oxygen, so fire in those conditions has little room to travel, but when there is oxygen the situation changes radically and can be a real danger to life.
This is why NASA is conducting experiments to learn how fire behaves in zero gravity conditions and how the materials in the spacecraft help or do not help signal tranmission. This will lead to a strict protocol for acting on fires when astronauts cannot leave the spacecraft.
In order to improve safety in the future, they have begun testing certain materials in space. In this way, they know which materials burn best and why this happens. This way, in the future, other safer, fireproof materials can be chosen, thus avoiding possible problems in missions.
According to the official website, 5 experiments have already been carried out that consist of burning ships in space and are called Saffire. The last one was held on January 13, 2021.
The ships used incorporate a lot of technology, from pressure sensors to temperature changes or changes in the level of carbon dioxide. They are very complex machines, prepared in this way due to all the pressure and temperature differences they are subjected to.
Beyond NASA, Space X, Elon Musk’s company is also making progress in terms of spacecraft.
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