NASA Fire Safety Test Took on Reduced Gravity

An experiment studying how solid materials catch fire and burn in the Moon’s gravity was launched on Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital flight. 

Developed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland together with Voyager Technologies, the Lunar-g Combustion Investigation (LUCI) will help researchers determine if conditions on the Moon – with reduced gravity – might be a more hazardous environment for fire safety.

NASA Fire Safety Test Ready to Fly High

The video shows a plastic rod and cotton-fiberglass fabric being burned during a ground test of the Lunar-g Combustion Investigation (LUCI) experiment. Scientists will compare the ground test video to the video recorded on the Blue Origin flight. 
Credit: Voyager Technologies

LUCI’s findings will help NASA and its partners design safe spacecraft and spacesuits for future Moon and Mars missions. 

For more information on LUCI and the mission, visit.

On this flight, LUCI tested flammability of cotton-fiberglass fabric and plastic rods, and once launched, the payload capsule rotated at a speed to simulate lunar gravity. NASA Glenn researchers will analyze data post-flight.