Nasa to test fire in space by burning unmanned orbiting craft

[WhiteTara]

http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-test-fire-space-burning-unmanned-orbiting-craft-081545440.html

Washington (AFP) - NASA said it will test the effects of a large fire in space by setting off a blaze inside an orbiting unmanned space craft.

NASA has set off tiny controlled fires in space in the past, but never tested how large flames react inside a space capsule in space.

This research "is crucial for the safety of current and future space missions," Gary Ruff, one of the engineers heading the experiment at the US space agency's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, said Tuesday.

The goal is to measure the size of the flames, how quickly they spread, the heat output, and how much gas is emitted.

[petronius]

1. Very interesting! I hope they make the video public... (nt)

[PersonNumber503602]

2. I'm surprised they haven't done this on a larger scale before.

[Solly Mack]

3. I'm suddenly reminded of the whole "bombing the moon" frenzy.

[kentauros]

4. Only now, they're bombing the Earth!

With a MMM! (Man-Made Meteor)

[Solly Mack]

6. I'll be sure to carry an umbrella.

[Orrex]

5. This was already demonstrated in the documentary "Gravity"

I'd like to see a test-run of that fire extinguisher propulsion system, too.