D.A.F.T.

By Alastair Alexander

DAFT - the Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test - is an acronym used by NASA.

It seems that very little is known about the size range of soot particles in space. As oxygen is limited up there, I guess there's not the same opportunity to muck about with fires. Furthermore, as it's a long way down from your spaceship to terra firma, unwanted fires need to be detected early.

With this in mind, DAFT is the beginning of a series of tests intended to build a better smoke detector for use in space. A brief read of the outline reveals that the DAFT equipment will coat fine particles in alcohol vapour as a way of detecting them. This is a good idea – personal experience has shown me that many things coated in alcohol are easier to pin down. Except memories.

More Daft information: NASA

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