Great Balls of Fire: How Flames Behave in Space

Researchers are keeping a close eye on these spherical flames. Their findings could help both astronauts and the earthbound.

By Marisa Sloan
Jan 17, 2023 6:00 PMJan 17, 2023 6:06 PM
Flames in space
A composite of flame images from nine different tests of NASA's Flame Design experiment, conducted in June and July 2019 on the International Space Station.(Credit: NASA)

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Given that it’s one of humanity’s oldest tools, you might assume we know all there is to know about fire. And sure, we know a lot: As hot air near the base of a flame rises, gravity pulls in colder, denser air to replace it. It’s this cycling of air that provides fresh oxygen and gives flames their characteristic teardrop shapes.

But in a microgravity environment, like the one astronauts experience while in orbit, all bets are off. Here, hot air still expands outward — but it doesn’t move upward, because there is no “upward.” Instead, fires in space are fed only by the random oxygen molecules that stumble into them by chance.


Read more: The Biggest Space Missions to Look For in 2023

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