Saffire-IV On Board The ISS Conducts A Fabric Burning Experiment

A sample of fabric burns inside Spacecraft Fire Experiment-IV (Saffire-IV). The sample is a composite fabric made of cotton and fiberglass and is 40 cm wide.

The image appears green because green LED lights are used to illuminate the sample during a burn. The flame appears orange in this image and the black region to the right of the flame is the cotton in the sample beginning to heat and char. The bright specks to the left of the flame are smoldering cotton that remains on the fiberglass substrate after the flame passes.

In Saffire-VI, this fabric is burned at higher oxygen concentrations. Researchers aim to study realistic flame spread to aid the development of fire safety equipment and strategies for future spacecraft.

jsc2023e046375 (7/25/2023) – larger image