Fire Fails In Zero G

Humans can maintain fire in zero gravity. Fire can't sustain itself for long without airflow. In microgravity, hot gases don't rise, so combustion products pool around the flame and block fresh oxygen from getting in. The flame turns small and spherical, then starves and goes out unless fans push oxygen to it. That behavior is the opposite of Earth's convection-fed flames and is why spacecraft rely on forced ventilation for fire tests and safety.

Previous Fact Next Fact