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Active TRL 5 (started at 2, targeting 6)
A spacecraft fire is particularly hazardous because in addition to the hazardous gaseous and aerosol combustion products that are introduced into the cabin environment, a fire can damage not only the equipment that is the source of the fire but also the systems adjacent to it and poses a serious risk to crew health and safety.
The fate of acid gases in a spacecraft following a fire is not completely understood. Terrestrial fire research is primarily concerned about the immediate effects and not the long term fate of the chemical compounds. In a sealed spacecraft this fate is a significant concern. This project has quantified the deposition rate of acid gases (particularly HCl) on spacecraft materials and has integrated this data in a spacecraft model. The behavior of HF and mitigation strategies are still areas of study. Gas species could be airborne where they can be removed through air filters, or they can stick to surfaces where they must be manually cleaned.
Acid gases are very corrosive and could damage hardware and electronics or pose a long-term risk to crew health on mars duration missions. While it is easily removed by a carbon filter, tests have shown that they readily adhere to surfaces. Therefore, rather than scrubbing these compounds from the air, they would have to be removed from surfaces in a spacecraft. This task is to conduct a test campaign to understand which materials are more susceptible to collecting HCl and HF, the deposition rate, and how the surfaces can be cleaned.
Based on tests performed in the Gas and Aerosol from Smoldering Polymers (GASP) lab, HCl and HF were included in the Anomaly Gas Analyzer (AGA) developed as the replacement for the Compound Specific Analyzer – Combustion Products (CSA-CP) on ISS. This instrument is also used on Orion.
Data from the acid gas test campaign in previous years has determined the rate or uptake and uptake capacity of HCl and HF onto a variety of surfaces. This has already been infused into the 0-g model in the fire scenario modeling work and can be readily infused into other models as they develop.
Anticipated results from the ongoing study will inform spacecraft post-fire cleanup standards which could inform solutions to individual vehicle fire safety systems. The driving operational need is for Mars transit and surface missions, where, in the event of a fire, crew will need the ability to clean the cabin to non-hazardous, safe habitation levels without the ability to quickly return to Earth.
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