Scientists to start fire in discarded spacecraft to study flames in weightless

Working via remote control this spring, scientists will spark a fire aboard the unmanned Cygnus cargo ship that launches next Tuesday to study how the deliberate flames spread in weightlessness. Aptly named the Spacecraft Fire Experiment, or SAFFIRE, the blaze will be contained within an instrumented research box — measuring 35 by 52 inches (3 by 4.4 feet) — that is strapped into the commercial freighter for the first-of-its-kind test. The Cygnus, made by Orbital ATK, will be launched from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday night at 11:05 p.m. EDT (0305 GMT) atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket for a two-month spaceflight. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 16)