In the Shenzhou 16 mission, astronauts Chinese carried out an intriguing experiment in space by involving open flames on board from the Tiangong Space Station.
During a live broadcast last month, astronauts Gui Haichao and Zhu Yangzhu lit a candle to demonstrate how flames behave in the absence of gravity.
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The result of the experiment was surprising, as the fire assumed an almost perfectly spherical shape, contrasting with the teardrop-shaped flames we are used to seeing on Earth.
(Image: Reproduction/CCTV)
The peculiarity of this phenomenon can be attributed to the absence of convection, which on Earth is driven by buoyancy.
However, in the microgravity of Earth's low-orbit environment, convection weakens considerably. Consequently, this allows the flames to diffuse in all directions, resulting in near-perfect spheres of fire.
In addition to the candle experiment, the astronauts also had the opportunity to interact with students in five classrooms in China, where they demonstrated a variety of phenomena related to microgravity.
Such demonstrations highlighted the difference in behavior of various physical processes in space compared to our planet.
It is also important to mention that procedures for dealing with open flames in space vary depending on the space station.
On the International Space Station (ISS), for example, strict fire safety measures are implemented, in part, in response to a serious fire that occurred on the Russian Mir space station in 1997.
Therefore, on the ISS, combustion research is often conducted using specially designed combustion stands to keep the fire isolated and contained.
The remarkable experiment offers a unique look at how flames behave in microgravity and underscores the ongoing commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and discovery in the space environment.
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