Saving Lives on Earth and Beyond: Space Station Flame Research Sheds Light on Fire Safety

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), September 7, 2023 –A tragic high-rise fire inspired breakthrough research leveraging the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) National Laboratory to reveal startling insights into the behavior of flames in confined spaces. The results have the potential to improve fire safety models and prevent future tragedies.

In the latest issue of Upward, official magazine of the ISS National Lab, we dive into an investigation of flame spread in confined spaces by Ya-Ting Liao, a research scientist with Case Western Reserve University. London’s tragic Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 inspired Liao to look more closely at how flames behave in confined spaces. The research that followed onboard the space station utilized state-of-the-art hardware in microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. to address this gap in knowledge, providing crucial insights into flame propagation and interactions with surrounding walls.

The findings could have far-reaching applications, from improving fire safety on spacecraft to new fire protection measures in high-rise buildings.

Upward is dedicated to communicating results of ISS National Lab-sponsored experiments that demonstrate the value of space-based research and technology development. Read the article “Heating Things Up in Microgravity” for an in-depth story that captures the motivations that drive fundamental research and highlights the intersection of science, innovation, and human safety.

Download a high-resolution for this release: ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and NASA’s Reid Wiseman

Media Contact:       
Patrick O’Neill
904-806-0035
PONeill@ISSNationalLab.org

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About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory:   The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Lab allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles.. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes).) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative AgreementA cooperative agreement is Federal assistance that establishes a relationship between the U.S. Government and a recipient in which the principal purpose of the relationship is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation.  Since 2011, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™) has managed the National Laboratory® through a Cooperative Agreement with NASA. with NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit our website.

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