NASA Academy Summer 2021 Equipment Development Team Report

Wildfires have become increasingly frequent, widespread, intense, and destructive. The
2021 NASA Academy at Langley Research Center was given the task of applying NASA technology to the challenges faced by wildland firefighting professionals. The Equipment Development Team focused on developing tools that could be deployed to make the work of wildland firefighters safer and more effective. The team developed both a conceptual design and a prototype of a lightweight respirator with air cooling capabilities. The team also researched body-worn biometric and environmental sensors, identifying a suite of sensors that could predict and
alert firefighters to dangerous physical and environmental conditions. This report outlines the
results of these activities, and analyzes each component of the systems, identifying challenges,
possible technological solutions, and their feasibility.