The objectives of this workshop were to bring together experts in various disciplines related to spacecraft fire safety to (1) identify research needed to ensure fire safety of STS, ISS, and their payloads, (2) identify fire safety concerns for prolonged human-crew mission in Earth orbit and beyond, and (3) anticipate fire protection research required for future Lunar/Martian habitats.

To address these issues, researchers and specialists from academia, industry, national laboratories, military, and NASA who work in the various theme areas of spacecraft fire safety such as applied combustion science and technology; environment control and life support; material flammability testing and fire prevention; spacecraft, habitat, and ISS design; and fire detection and suppression were invited to this workshop. The workshop consisted of a plenary session with presentations that gave an overview of the practical aspects of fire protection systems aboard the STS and ISS, current material flammability certification procedures, and details of processes proposed for in-situ propellant production. Participants then formed three working groups to discuss current understanding and research needs in fire prevention and material flammability, smoke and fire detection, and fire and post-fire response, respectively. Additional details about the workshop can be found in the pre-conference announcement and schedule.

Electronic copies of the plenary presentations and the summary presentations from the working groups can be found at the links given below. Each working group also produced a written summary that will be compiled into a workshop report to be completed by Fall 2001. If you have questions or comments on the workshop, working group summaries, or the final report, please contact Dr. Gary A. Ruff at gary.a.ruff@grc.nasa.gov.

The following linked files are in Adobe PDF format and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing and printing.