How does fire exist in space?

How does fire exist in space?

But odd things happen in space, where gravity loses its grip on solids, liquids and gases. Without gravity, hot air expands but doesn’t move upward. The flame persists because of the diffusion of oxygen, with random oxygen molecules drifting into the fire.

Can there be smoke in space?

Smoking on the ISS is not allowed. It’s nasty fouls up the air, and is potentially dangerous in the Oxygen enriched environment. eCigs would probably be banned as well. If you are scheduled for a tour on the ISS, take a lot of nicotine patches.

Can a fire start on Mars?

We know that fire can only burn naturally on our planet, and Mars doesn’t have a dense atmosphere or enough oxygen to allow flames to burn – but space station and spacecraft fires are a very real danger, and with crews living and working in close proximity, fire would be disastrous.

Can you set a fire in space?

In space, of course, you can’t have any fires because there isn’t any oxidizer (i.e. oxygen) to sustain the combustion process. In space, of course, you can’t have any fires because there isn’t any oxidizer (i.e. oxygen) to sustain the combustion process.

Can combustion happen on Mars?

Mars’ thin atmosphere is 95 percent carbon dioxide, but sending anything back into space requires fuel, and burning that fuel requires oxygen.

What happens if you light a lighter in space?

But what happens when you light a candle, say, on the International Space Station (ISS)? “In microgravity, flames burn differently—they form little spheres,” says Williams. Unlike flames on Earth, which expand greedily when they need more fuel, flame balls let the oxygen come to them.

How are fires fought in space compared to Earth?

If a fire were to break out on a spacecraft in orbit, astronauts would fight the flames in slightly different ways than they would on Earth. Fires in space are not the same as fires on Earth, but the best way to fight any fire is to keep it from starting. As hot gasses from a flame rise, they create air currents…

Can a fire break out on a spacecraft in space?

If a fire were to break out on a spacecraft in orbit, astronauts would fight the flames in slightly different ways than they would on Earth. Fires in space are not the same as fires on Earth, but the best way to fight any fire is to keep it from starting.

How did the fire on the ISS start?

The fire came from an oxygen generator, where the oxygen supplied a ready source of fuel. Tests showed that the generator had to run out of oxygen for the fire to burn out. If a fire were to occur on the ISS, the astronauts would become firemen and follow a three-step response system.

What happens to fuel in space when it catches fire?

NASA scientists are especially excited about the potential applications for a bizarre, unprecedented type of combustion they observed in space this past spring: When certain types of liquid fuel catch fire, they continue to burn even when the flames appear to have been extinguished. The fuel combustion occurs in two stages.