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MicroFire Atlas

The frontier map

Find the blank spaces.

A blank part of the map is a question scientists have not answered in this atlas.

Investigate a gap

Tala · Where does our evidence stop?

Research planning · professional system view

From one question to shared evidence gaps

For spacecraft-fire researchers and early-stage evidence analysts, before formal engineering assessment: which missing NASA evidence connects our mission questions? These are coverage questions across a finite curated registry.

MicroFire research-planning heuristic, not NASA prioritization

  1. 11curated mission questions
  2. 5already have a direct condition match
  3. 6unique open gaps · 0 shared by distinct questions
  4. 6hypothetical research candidates
  5. +2questions the best candidate could cover

Highest-coverage candidate under this heuristic

Could supply represented-condition coverage for 2 current gaps and 2 curated questions.

SIBAL fabricMartian gravity34 % O₂56.5 kPa10 cm/s airflow
Inspect it in the planner
Missing most often:oxygen · 4 gaps / 4 questionsnever tested together · 2 gaps / 2 questionsgravity · 2 gaps / 2 questions

Questions from Challenge Mode reuse the Mission preset; identical questions are not counted again. Dimension counts group distinct physical combinations without merging those gaps. No exact gap is shared by distinct questions in this registry; broader and narrower requirements can still overlap under candidate coverage.

Research Priority Board

Separate dimensions, no composite score. Every registered gap has zero direct records. Analogous support: requested material, at most two condition mismatches. Trace the system from a NASA family or a mission category: families follow the closest records and selected findings; publication findings stay findings, and planned work is listed separately.

Unresolved atlas coverage · not a NASA experiment

PMMALunar gravity28.5 % O₂66.2 kPa20 cm/s airflow

Missing together: never tested together

Affected mission questions

Closest completed NASA evidence

Relevant publication findings (5)
  • “Both blowoff and quenching limits were obtained at several oxygen concentrations.” PMMA rods in concurrent flow, abstract
  • “These are the first-ever, extended-duration (greater than 25 seconds) combustion tests performed in simulated Lunar gravity.” Lunar Combustion Investigation, abstract
  • “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.” Microgravity vs Martian gravity, abstract
  • “Quenching was observed when the flow became sufficiently weak that the flame could no longer provide adequate heat flux to compensate for the heat losses (conduction into the rod and radiation).” PMMA rods in concurrent flow, abstract
  • “However, the ambient concentrations of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide rose significantly with the PMMA tests exceeding the 1-hour carbon dioxide limit and the 24-hour carbon monoxide limit.” Saffire VI results, PDF p. 6

Planned NASA overlap

FM²: planned, no results counted. Overlaps gravity + material.

Published plan overlaps these dimensions only. Flow, sample geometry and full joint conditions are not matched here; no completed FM² results are counted.

FM² atmospheres and samples, abstractFM² atmospheres and samples, abstractFM² mission plan, abstract

Matched-condition research question

PMMA, 28.5 % O₂, 66.2 kPa, 20 cm/s airflow, lunar gravity. The closest record, Saffire VI sample VI-4, differs in gravity, pressure.

Evaluate this candidate's coverage
Gap and platform limitations
  • MicroFire research-planning heuristic, not NASA prioritization or an endorsed experiment recommendation.
  • Matched on the dimensions represented by this planner: material, gravity, oxygen, pressure and airflow only.
  • Geometry, scale, duration, ignition, confinement, orientation, hardware and sample history remain unmodelled.
  • Coverage only: no prediction of outcome, information entropy, feasibility, cost, crew risk, TRL, schedule, funding priority or safety impact.
  • Curated questions are not a survey of demand; repeated wording or extra scenarios can bias breadth.
  • LUCI provides simulated lunar gravity, not Moon-surface measurements. Current atlas coverage is not the complete NASA archive.
  • Analogous support counts rows matching the requested material with at most two mismatched condition dimensions; it is not evidential strength. Closest links may include more distant rows. Families describe the five closest records and five selected findings.
  • Simulated lunar gravity: a spinning rocket, about 2.5 minutes, with Coriolis force; oxygen fell during the burn

Evidence Gain Planner

If a valid experimental record existed at these conditions, which registered questions would gain matched-condition coverage?

Hypothetical research question · no measured outcome · cannot be cited as NASA evidence

PMMALunar gravity28.5 % O₂66.2 kPa20 cm/s airflow
Today: direct-condition coverage5 / 11 questions
If a valid record existed6 / 11 questions

Could supply matched-condition coverage for 1 registered gap and 1 curated question across 1 category. Matched on represented dimensions only. Its exact conditions come from 1 registered gap requirement; no combinations were generated at random.

Could directly address

Remaining gaps (5); partial overlap (0)

Partial overlap is not counted as direct coverage or proof of gap reduction.

Unknown or unmodelled: flow direction, thickness, width, geometry, scale, duration, ignition, confinement, orientation, hardware, sample history.

Assumptions and limits of this counterfactual
  • A valid completed solid-fuel experiment would report the requested conditions and measured results; none exist for this candidate today.
  • No unrequested condition is copied from a nearby test or filled with a default.
  • MicroFire research-planning heuristic, not NASA prioritization or an endorsed experiment recommendation.
  • Matched on the dimensions represented by this planner: material, gravity, oxygen, pressure and airflow only.
  • Geometry, scale, duration, ignition, confinement, orientation, hardware and sample history remain unmodelled.
  • Coverage only: no prediction of outcome, information entropy, feasibility, cost, crew risk, TRL, schedule, funding priority or safety impact.
  • Curated questions are not a survey of demand; repeated wording or extra scenarios can bias breadth.
  • LUCI provides simulated lunar gravity, not Moon-surface measurements. Current atlas coverage is not the complete NASA archive.
  • Partial overlap is a research lead, not counted as new direct coverage or proof that a gap shrinks. Unspecified dimensions still require an experiment design.

This planner measures evidence coverage only. It does not estimate experimental feasibility, cost, risk, scientific outcome or NASA priority. Human usability impact study pending.

Curated mission questions and their origins (11)

exploration-atmosphere · mission-preset

Exploration atmosphere A, in orbit

What combustion evidence covers exploration atmosphere a, in orbit?

Microgravity34 % O₂56.5 kPa10 cm/s airflow

56.5 kPa with 34 % oxygen: a NASA-studied and previously recommended exploration-atmosphere configuration. No current direct condition match.

Exploration atmosphere pilot study, abstract

orbital · mission-preset

ISS cabin, fans running

What combustion evidence covers iss cabin, fans running?

Microgravity21 % O₂101.3 kPa10 cm/s airflow

Normal air, near 1 atm, a moderate ventilation flow. Condition match exists under current ontology; platform and geometry limitations remain.

BASS-II Summary Report, abstractLunar Combustion Investigation, abstract

material · mission-preset

Reduced-oxygen corner

What combustion evidence covers reduced-oxygen corner?

Microgravity17 % O₂101.3 kPa3 cm/s airflow

Oxygen lowered to about 17 % with gentle flow, where many tests quenched. Condition match exists under current ontology; platform and geometry limitations remain.

BASS-II Summary Report, abstractLunar Combustion Investigation, abstract

martian · mission-preset

Mars habitat, atmosphere A

What combustion evidence covers mars habitat, atmosphere a?

SIBAL fabricMartian gravity34 % O₂56.5 kPa10 cm/s airflow

Cotton-fiberglass fabric in 34 % oxygen at 56.5 kPa, at Martian gravity. No current direct condition match.

Exploration atmosphere pilot study, abstract

lunar · mission-preset

Lunar habitat, atmosphere A

What combustion evidence covers lunar habitat, atmosphere a?

PMMALunar gravity34 % O₂56.5 kPa20 cm/s airflow

PMMA in 34 % oxygen at 56.5 kPa, at lunar gravity: the hardest question in this atlas. No current direct condition match.

Exploration atmosphere pilot study, abstract

ventilation · mission-preset

ISS cabin, ventilation lost

What combustion evidence covers iss cabin, ventilation lost?

Microgravity21 % O₂101.3 kPa1 cm/s airflow

Normal air with almost no airflow, the regime where NASA saw dim, long-lived flames. Condition match exists under current ontology; platform and geometry limitations remain.

BASS-II Summary Report, abstractLunar Combustion Investigation, abstract

Open research data and all limitations
mission-scenarios.jsongap-registry.jsoncandidate-experiments.jsonevidence-gain.jsonresearch-planning-graph.json
  • MicroFire research-planning heuristic, not NASA prioritization or an endorsed experiment recommendation.
  • Matched on the dimensions represented by this planner: material, gravity, oxygen, pressure and airflow only.
  • Geometry, scale, duration, ignition, confinement, orientation, hardware and sample history remain unmodelled.
  • Coverage only: no prediction of outcome, information entropy, feasibility, cost, crew risk, TRL, schedule, funding priority or safety impact.
  • Curated questions are not a survey of demand; repeated wording or extra scenarios can bias breadth.
  • LUCI provides simulated lunar gravity, not Moon-surface measurements. Current atlas coverage is not the complete NASA archive.

Research Frontier

Where the evidence runs out, and what would push it further

Each card is worked out from every test record in the atlas. A gap is not a verdict of danger or safety: it is a question no test has answered yet. The suggested tests are research ideas, not NASA plans.

  • Open frontier

    Could a plastic panel burn in a Moon base with extra oxygen?

    A Moon base in exploration atmosphere A

    What we know
    • Saffire VI sample VI-3: PMMA, 30.3 % oxygen, 54.6 kPa, microgravity. NASA recorded: grew continuously until the flow was reduced.
    • Saffire VI sample VI-4: PMMA, 28.8 % oxygen, 55.2 kPa, microgravity. NASA recorded: grew continuously until the flow was reduced.
    • 76 more solid-fuel tests differ from this question in named ways.
    • 13 NASA findings about reduced gravity or exploration atmospheres.
    What we don't know
    How PMMA burns with 34 % oxygen, 56.5 kPa, 20 cm/s airflow, lunar gravity all at once.
    Why the gap exists
    • No test record reaches 34 % oxygen. The highest is 31 % (Saffire VI sample VI-2).
    Missing condition
    oxygen
    What kind of test would reduce the uncertainty
    A matched-condition test: PMMA, 34 % O₂, 56.5 kPa, 20 cm/s airflow, lunar gravity. The closest record, Saffire VI sample VI-3, differs in gravity, oxygen. NASA's own next step is a lunar-surface burn test, FM2.
    Climb this question's Evidence Ladder
  • Open frontier

    What about cloth on Mars?

    Fabric in a Mars habitat, atmosphere A

    What we know
    • Saffire VI sample VI-2: SIBAL fabric, 31 % oxygen, 54.1 kPa, microgravity. NASA recorded: reached a steady size and spread rate quickly.
    • Saffire VI sample VI-3: PMMA, 30.3 % oxygen, 54.6 kPa, microgravity. NASA recorded: grew continuously until the flow was reduced.
    • 76 more solid-fuel tests differ from this question in named ways.
    • 13 NASA findings about reduced gravity or exploration atmospheres.
    What we don't know
    How SIBAL fabric burns with 34 % oxygen, 56.5 kPa, Martian gravity all at once.
    Why the gap exists
    • Long burns at Martian gravity are hard to make: NASA's Martian-gravity flammability tests used a drop tower, which gives only seconds of reduced gravity. No test row in this atlas ran at Martian gravity. Microgravity vs Martian gravity, abstract
    • No test record reaches 34 % oxygen. The highest is 31 % (Saffire VI sample VI-2).
    Missing condition
    gravityoxygen
    What kind of test would reduce the uncertainty
    A matched-condition test: SIBAL fabric, 34 % O₂, 56.5 kPa, Martian gravity. The closest record, Saffire VI sample VI-2, differs in gravity, oxygen.
    Climb this question's Evidence Ladder
  • Evidence exists

    Moon gravity, normal air

    A lunar habitat with Earth-like air

    What we know
    • 1 NASA test match every condition: for example LUCI SIBAL (simulated lunar gravity).
    • 11 NASA findings about reduced gravity or exploration atmospheres.
    Climb this question's Evidence Ladder
  • Evidence exists

    Space station with the fans off

    The ISS with its fans off

    What we know
    • 4 NASA tests match every condition: for example BASS-II test B3, BASS-II test B7, BASS-II test B9.
    Climb this question's Evidence Ladder

Combustion Evidence Space

Every mark is a real NASA test record from BASS/BASS-II, Saffire or LUCI. Nothing is drawn between them. Set a mission condition and the box shows whether any test sits close enough to count as direct evidence.

Mission condition
75 NASA test records plotted by oxygen and airflow. No record lies within tolerance of the mission condition.101520253035051015202530Oxygen (% by volume)Airflow (cm/s)No direct evidence here

Research horizon

The next experiment NASA has planned on the Moon, and which of the open questions above it is designed to reach.

Not yet evidence

FM²: Flammability of Materials on the Moon

A robotic burn chamber planned for a lander on the Moon. When its results are published, they will be the first fire tests on another world. Until then, MicroFire lists what it will measure, never what it might find.

Planned atmospheres

“The environmental control system can replicate and conduct fire experiments automatically in the expected atmospheres, specifically 21% oxygen at 14.7 psia, and 34% oxygen at 8.2 psia, which are of immediate interest to the Human Lander System (HLS) and Lunar Rover.” FM² atmospheres and samples, abstract

Planned samples

“There are four samples currently planned; two SIBAL fabrics (cotton/fiberglass blend) which will be burned in air and two acrylic rods which will be burned in Normoxic Space Exploration Atmospheres (SEA).” FM² atmospheres and samples, abstract

What it will measure

“The results of flame size, spread rate, atmosphere changes, and extinction oxygen concentration will then be analyzed and used to help quantify the risk and mitigation for future exploration missions.” FM² mission plan, abstract

Which frontier questions it is designed to reach

  • A Moon base in exploration atmosphere A Could gain the first evidence from the Moon's surface: same material, atmosphere and gravity as an FM² sample.Evidence Ladder
  • Fabric in a Mars habitat, atmosphere A Not covered by FM²: FM² burns at lunar gravity, not Martian gravity.Evidence Ladder
  • A lunar habitat with Earth-like air Could gain the first evidence from the Moon's surface: same material, atmosphere and gravity as an FM² sample.Evidence Ladder
  • The ISS with its fans off Not covered by FM²: FM² burns at lunar gravity, not in orbit.Evidence Ladder

Spacecraft fire safety: what this atlas covers

Fire safety is more than how a flame spreads. Each area counts the verified NASA evidence in this atlas. An empty area means we have not collected it yet, not that NASA has no work there.

  • Structured test dataFlame spreadHow fast fire crawls along a material53 records (outcome recorded) · 20 verified findingsBASS and BASS-II, Saffire
  • Structured test dataExtinctionWhen and why flames go out27 records (flame went out) · 6 verified findingsBASS and BASS-II
  • Structured test dataCabin atmosphereOxygen and air pressure77 records (oxygen or pressure reported) · 15 verified findingsBASS and BASS-II, Martian-gravity drop tests, Saffire, FLEX (mechanism only), SoFIE+ planned: FM² (2 plan statements, no results yet)
  • Structured test dataReduced gravityThe Moon and Mars2 records (simulated lunar gravity, not the Moon) · 7 verified findingsMartian-gravity drop tests, LUCI, Saffire, SoFIE+ planned: FM² (5 plan statements, no results yet)
  • Verified publication findingSmoke and detectionNoticing a fire and the gases it makes5 verified findingsBASS and BASS-II, Saffire
  • Verified publication findingMaterial screeningHow NASA screens materials for flammability before flight5 verified findingsSaffire, SoFIE+ planned: FM² (2 plan statements, no results yet)
  • Context onlySuppressionPutting fires out2 verified findingsSaffire, FLEX (mechanism only)
  • Not yet curatedPost-fire cleanupCleaning the air afterwards0 verified findings

From the Earth test to the Moon

NASA screens materials with a standard test in normal gravity (NASA-STD-6001). Reduced-gravity experiments show why that is not the whole story. Every step below is NASA's own words.

  1. 1

    Screened on Earth

    NASA's standard flammability test runs in normal gravity

    “Thin fuel sheets: few materials rated even in 1g at 34% O2, 8.2 psia (exploration atmosphere).” SoFIE project, PDF p. 6

  2. 2

    Burned in orbit

    Without buoyancy, some materials keep burning at lower oxygen

    “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.” Microgravity vs Martian gravity, abstract

  3. 3

    Burned in lunar gravity

    Short reduced-gravity tests show surprises

    “SIBAL fabric has been found to only burn downward in air in lunar gravity (via Lunar gravity centrifuge and parabolic flight) where on Earth’s gravity it extinguishes immediately after ignition.” FM² atmospheres and samples, abstract

    “Lunar gravity has been found to increase the limits of flammability for some materials compared to Earth gravity, presenting a goldilocks zone of reduced convective heat loss, while generating enough buoyant flow to replenish fresh oxygen into the flame zone.” FM² atmospheres and samples, abstract

  4. 4

    Still unknown

    What NASA says is needed next

    “If proven for more materials, this may indicate the need to include a factor of safety on 1g flammability limits.” Microgravity vs Martian gravity, abstract

    “Further work will be needed to extend these results to the partial gravity environment expected on future mission to the moon and Mars.” Saffire VI results, PDF p. 6