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MicroFire Atlas

Challenge Mode · the whole answer in about 90 seconds

One question. Nine steps. Every claim traceable.

What does NASA actually know about PMMA fire under a future lunar-habitat scenario?

Research scenario: PMMA, lunar gravity, 56.5 kPa with 34 % oxygen (the Exploration atmosphere A, a NASA-studied configuration posed here as a lunar research scenario), 20 cm/s airflow.

AtmosphereExploration atmosphere A · 56.5 kPa · 34 %Alternate exploration atmosphere · 66.2 kPa · 28.5 %Change every condition in Mission Analyst

Find

Find the evidence

Searching the curated NASA evidence in this atlas. This is local, deterministic retrieval over checked records: no web search, no model.

  • BASS and BASS-IIstructured test records56 test records · 28 verified findings
  • Saffirestructured test records20 test records · 13 verified findings
  • LUCIstructured test records2 test records · 2 verified findings
  • Martian-gravity drop testsverified findings2 verified findings
  • SoFIEverified findings3 verified findings
  • FM² (planned)planned, no results yet5 verified findings
  • FLEXmechanism only3 verified findings
  • ACMEmechanism only2 verified findings

Compare

Compare what NASA actually tested

The closest test records across every family. Close is not identical: each condition is marked.

  1. Saffire VI sample VI-3

    Saffire · 18 cm sample · NASA recorded: Grew continuously until the flow was reduced

    Material
    ✓ match PMMA
    Oxygen
    ✗ different 30.3 % O₂
    Pressure
    ≈ near 54.6 kPa
    Gravity
    ✗ different microgravity
    Airflow
    ✓ match 20 cm/s
    Saffire VI results, Test matrix, PDF p. 3

  2. Saffire VI sample VI-4

    Saffire · 18 cm sample · NASA recorded: Grew continuously until the flow was reduced

    Material
    ✓ match PMMA
    Oxygen
    ✗ different 28.8 % O₂
    Pressure
    ≈ near 55.2 kPa
    Gravity
    ✗ different microgravity
    Airflow
    ✓ match 20 cm/s
    Saffire VI results, Test matrix, PDF p. 3

  3. LUCI PMMA rod (simulated lunar gravity)

    LUCI · NASA recorded: Spread about 6 cm, then went out

    Material
    ✓ match PMMA
    Oxygen
    ✗ different 20 % O₂
    Pressure
    ✗ different 101.3 kPa
    Gravity
    ✓ match lunar
    Airflow
    ? not reported not reported

    Simulated lunar gravity: a spinning rocket, about 2.5 minutes, with Coriolis force; oxygen fell during the burn

    Lunar Combustion Investigation, PDF p. 20

Summarize

What NASA found

  1. BASS and BASS-II · analogous evidence · Reported observation

    “Both blowoff and quenching limits were obtained at several oxygen concentrations.”

    Why it is relevant: The finding addresses oxygen; this topic is requested or triggered by the selected conditions.

    Limitation: Publication-level evidence: no explicit test-row link is curated for this finding. Numeric condition coverage is unknown.

    PMMA rods in concurrent flow, abstract

  2. LUCI · analogous evidence · Reported observation

    “These are the first-ever, extended-duration (greater than 25 seconds) combustion tests performed in simulated Lunar gravity.”

    Why it is relevant: The finding addresses partial-gravity; this topic is requested or triggered by the selected conditions.

    Limitation: Publication-level evidence: no explicit test-row link is curated for this finding. Numeric condition coverage is unknown.

    Lunar Combustion Investigation, abstract

  3. Martian-gravity drop tests · analogous evidence · Reported observation

    “Previous testing at microgravity and Lunar gravity indicated that some materials burned to lower oxygen concentrations in low gravity than in normal gravity, although the low g extinction limit criteria are not the same as 1g due to time constraints in drop testing.”

    Why it is relevant: The finding addresses oxygen; this topic is requested or triggered by the selected conditions.

    Limitation: Publication-level evidence: no explicit test-row link is curated for this finding. Numeric condition coverage is unknown.

    Microgravity vs Martian gravity, abstract

Rank

Which evidence matters most?

Two rankings, kept separate. These are MicroFire ranking heuristics, not NASA safety scores. The best BASS-II row scores only 25 / 100: those tests ran in orbit at sea-level pressure, far from this scenario. That low number is part of the answer.

Experiment relevance BASS-II test rows, by condition similarity

  1. #1Test GMT45-T15Relevance 25 / 100 · reported coverage 100 %✓ airflow (10–29 cm/s) · ✗ oxygen, pressure, gravity, materialRanking stability: top 3 in 94 % of 1,000 weight variations
  2. #2Test GMT190-T21Relevance 25 / 100 · reported coverage 100 %✓ airflow (11–47 cm/s) · ✗ oxygen, pressure, gravity, materialRanking stability: top 3 in 94 % of 1,000 weight variations
  3. #3Test GMT178-T17Relevance 25 / 100 · reported coverage 100 %✓ airflow (6–53 cm/s) · ✗ oxygen, pressure, gravity, materialRanking stability: top 3 in 94 % of 1,000 weight variations

Finding relevance NASA statements, by the question they address

  1. #1Both blowoff and quenching limits were obtained at several oxygen concentrations.Relevance 47 / 100 · analogous evidenceRanking stability: top 3 in 100 % of weight variations
  2. #2These are the first-ever, extended-duration (greater than 25 seconds) combustion tests per…Relevance 37 / 100 · analogous evidenceRanking stability: top 3 in 71 % of weight variations
  3. #3Previous testing at microgravity and Lunar gravity indicated that some materials burned to…Relevance 33 / 100 · analogous evidenceRanking stability: top 3 in 69 % of weight variations

Interpret

What does this mean for the mission question?

NASA observed
“Both blowoff and quenching limits were obtained at several oxygen concentrations.”
Why it matters here
The finding addresses oxygen; this topic is requested or triggered by the selected conditions. PMMA appears in the quote, material-specific source, or curated supporting records.
MicroFire interpretation
The reported boundaries make oxygen and airflow relevant to the research question. A rod result does not establish limits for a panel, fabric or different habitat.
Limitation
Publication-level evidence: no explicit test-row link is curated for this finding. Numeric condition coverage is unknown.
Source
PMMA rods in concurrent flow, abstract

AI-powered

Where AI helps

The model never decides what NASA observed. MicroFire retrieves the evidence first and verifies generated factual claims afterward.

  1. QuestionWhat happens to a PMMA flame when airflow changes in microgravity?
  2. NASA evidence retrieved firstB16 · B20 · B19
  3. AI synthesisAll three BASS-II runs used 2-cm, 100-µm-thick PMMA in opposed flow at about 16.4–16.5% O2 aboard the ISS. Outcomes differed: B16 quenched, B20 burned the entire sample, and B19 blew off; the reported fan “pot” settings were different across runs.
  4. Claim checker
    • ✓ Every citation exists in the retrieved evidence
    • ✓ Every number appears in the cited NASA records
    • ✓ Units match the cited evidence
    • ✓ No microgravity result told as Moon or Mars
    • ✓ No causal or safety claim the evidence does not make
    • ✓ No past outcome turned into a prediction
  5. VerifiedVerified example: a saved answer re-checked by the current checker on every build. Not a live request. Deterministic checks do not prove every sentence is scientifically entailed.

Ask your own question

Uncertainty

What NASA has not tested yet

  1. Direct0 records
  2. Analogous78 records
  3. Mechanistic5 findings
  4. Gap1 named

PMMA+lunar gravity+56.5 kPa · 34 % O₂+20 cm/s=no direct match in the current atlas

Each condition, and where NASA has tested it

  • ✓ Material30 records within tolerance: BASS and BASS-II, Saffire, LUCI
  • ✓ Gravity2 records within tolerance: LUCI
  • ✗ OxygenNo record in this atlas
  • ✓ Pressure3 records within tolerance: Saffire
  • ✓ Airflow40 records within tolerance: BASS and BASS-II, Saffire

At least one condition has never been tested in this atlas. No single record combines them.

  • No test record is within ±1.5 points of 34 % oxygen.

Next question

The experiment that would close the gap

See how this gap compares with the whole research landscape

Which experiment could address the most open gaps?

Matched-condition research question

PMMA, 34 % O₂, 56.5 kPa, 20 cm/s airflow, lunar gravity. The closest record, Saffire VI sample VI-3, differs in gravity, oxygen.

Computed from the missing conditions. A research question, not a NASA-endorsed experiment plan.

MicroFire says no

“What is the probability that PMMA ignites in a lunar habitat at 34% oxygen?”

No valid probability can be estimated from the current evidence.

Why
MicroFire Atlas reports NASA evidence; these records do not establish mission safety, fire probability, predictions or isolated causal proof.
Closest evidence
LUCI PMMA rod (simulated lunar gravity). Simulated lunar gravity: a spinning rocket, about 2.5 minutes, with Coriolis force; oxygen fell during the burn.
Main mismatches
20 % O₂, not 34 %
What NASA has observed
“Both blowoff and quenching limits were obtained at several oxygen concentrations.” PMMA rods in concurrent flow, abstract
What remains unknown
No test record is within ±1.5 points of 34 % oxygen.
Matched-condition research question
PMMA, 34 % O₂, lunar gravity. The closest record, LUCI PMMA rod (simulated lunar gravity), differs in oxygen.

Abstention is a scientific result.

Traceability

How MicroFire answers the challenge

  • ✓ FindSearch structured NASA evidence across experiment familiesEvidence Atlas
  • ✓ CompareSee conditions side by side: what matched, what differed, what was not reportedCompare Lab
  • ✓ SummarizeRead verified NASA findings, quoted word for word with their pagesTop relevant NASA findings
  • ✓ RankRank experiments and findings for mission conditions, with ranking robustnessMission Analyst
  • ✓ InterpretTurn an observation into a carefully bounded fire-safety implicationEvidence-backed insight
  • ✓ AI-poweredEvidence is retrieved first; AI synthesizes; every factual claim is checkedAsk, with a verified example
  • ✓ Evidence-bounded MLA validated model on NASA tests, gated so it abstains outside the conditions NASA testedAI Model Lab
  • ✓ Human space explorationNASA-studied exploration atmospheres, orbit, simulated lunar gravity and planned Moon-surface testsResearch Frontier
  • ✓ UncertaintyEvidence Ladder, ranking robustness and named gaps show where the evidence stopsMethodology

MicroFire shows both what NASA knows and where the evidence stops.

Mission Evidence Brief

The nine steps in one page. A MicroFire evidence summary, not a NASA safety report.

Question
What does NASA actually know about PMMA fire under a future lunar-habitat scenario?Scenario: PMMA, lunar gravity, 56.5 kPa with 34 % oxygen (the Exploration atmosphere A, a NASA-studied configuration posed here as a lunar research scenario), 20 cm/s airflow.
What NASA directly tested
No NASA test in this atlas matches every condition.Each condition on its own: material in 30 records, gravity in 2 records, oxygen never, pressure in 3 records, airflow in 40 records.
Closest evidence
Saffire VI sample VI-3. NASA recorded: Grew continuously until the flow was reduced.Differs in: oxygen, pressure, gravity.
Most relevant finding
“Both blowoff and quenching limits were obtained at several oxygen concentrations.”BASS and BASS-II, analogous evidence.
What AI contributed
Synthesized the retrieved NASA evidence into plain language; 2 of 2 claims passed every deterministic check.Saved, verified example re-checked on every build, not a live request. The AI never decided what NASA observed.
Main uncertainty
No test record is within ±1.5 points of 34 % oxygen.
What cannot yet be claimed
Any outcome or probability for this condition.The AI Model Lab blocks a prediction here (gravity, pressure, oxygen, airflow outside its evidence). MicroFire Atlas reports NASA evidence; these records do not establish mission safety, fire probability, predictions or isolated causal proof.
Next research question
PMMA, 34 % O₂, 56.5 kPa, 20 cm/s airflow, lunar gravity. The closest record, Saffire VI sample VI-3, differs in gravity, oxygen.Computed from the missing conditions. Not a NASA-endorsed plan.
Source trace
Saffire VI results, Test matrix, PDF p. 3PMMA rods in concurrent flow, abstract