INFERNITYFLAME IN FREEFALL

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Attribute
Saffire-ISaffire-I
Hardware groupUngrouped
Pillars
Prevention
Fuel phaseSolid
MaterialSIBAL cotton-fiberglass blend fabric
ShapeLarge flat fabric sample inside a purpose-built flow duct
SizeBurn sample 0.4 m wide x 1 m long; enclosure about 0.5 x 1 x 1.3 m
O2 concentrationVaried / not specified
PressureVaried / not specified
AirflowVaried / not specified
FacilitySpacecraft Fire Safety Demonstration payload in a Cygnus cargo vehicle
Module / vehicleFree-flying Cygnus after ISS departure
Sensors
  • Video and still imaging
  • Thermocouples
  • Pressure and oxygen sensors
  • Flow duct instrumentation
Variables tested
  • Large-scale flame growth over a meter-class fabric sample
  • Material flammability limits at practical spacecraft scale
  • Flow-duct conditions during flame spread
ObjectivesInvestigate large-scale flame growth and material flammability limits in space using a cargo vehicle after it departs the station, avoiding risk to the crewed ISS.
Key findings
  • Conducted the largest fire experiment in space to date; previous tests were roughly the size of an index card.
  • Ignited a 0.4 m by 1 m SIBAL sample inside a dedicated flow duct while the vehicle flew free.
  • Provided practical-scale data on flame growth that small glovebox samples could not reproduce.
Relevant environments
Spacecraft cabinSpace stationMars base
SourceNASA PSI