The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning a dangerous but interesting experiment on the lunar surface to determine the possible scenarios if something goes wrong aboard future lunar missions.
The US space agency plans to light a fire on the moon to see how the flame reacts in low-gravity environments.
Fire is one of the most terrifying threats that astronauts may face while aboard future lunar missions, because materials that are not flammable on Earth can actually burn for a very long time out in space.
For the experiment, planned for later this year, four fuel samples will be sent to the moon in an unmanned Commercial Lunar Payload Service (CLPS). These samples will then be ignited as sensors and cameras record how much oxygen they consume and how the flame spreads.
The experiment has been proposed as NASA plans to land astronauts back on the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions some 50 years ago. The Artemis IV mission is scheduled to take humans back to the moon in 2028.
But a recent report suggested that delays in spacesuit development could cause a delay of about three years for the Artemis IV mission.
Currently, NASA uses a NASA-STD-6001B test to determine if the materials are safe to be used in lunar missions. The test applies a six-inch flame to the base of a material; it fails if the flame spreads more than six inches upwards or if it produces burning drips.
However, the limitation of this test is that it does not actually tell the reality of how the specific material could burn in the room.
Flammability of Materials on the Moon (FM) will mark the first time such a test has been conducted in space.
