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Astronauts continue fire experiments
March 3, 1996
Web posted at: 7:25 p.m. EST(CNN) -- The shuttle Columbia's crew members continued their experiments with fire Sunday, studying the effects of air motion on the spread of fire in near zero gravity.
Kurt Sacksteder, the experiment's lead investigator, said the results so far were "very exciting," and said that the knowledge gained would benefit fire fighting procedures on the planned international space station.
The fire experiments are conducted inside a "glovebox" that allows astronauts to handle dangerous or toxic materials in an enclosed chamber.
The crew members staggered their work schedule on Sunday, and Pilot Scott Horowitz used his time off to watch the Earth through the shuttle's window.
"I wish I had this office all the time," he quipped.
Horowitz also had praise for Columbia, NASA's oldest shuttle.
"She may have a lot of kilometers on her," he said during a live interview, "but I tell you, she's a sweet ship."
The seven-member crew is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, but the space agency is considering extending the mission for another day for more experiments.
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