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MicroFire Atlas

MicroFire Atlas · Mission Evidence Brief

Any material at 34 % oxygen, 56.5 kPa, 20 cm/s airflow, lunar gravity

Atmosphere profile
Exploration atmosphere A (56.5 kPa · 34 %)
Generated
2026-10-26
Evidence corpus retrieved
2026-10-03 · 78 test records · 62 verified findings · 19 NASA documents
Method
Evidence Ladder (tolerances ±1.5 points O₂, ±10 kPa, ±50 % airflow) and Mission Relevance v1, robustness over 1,000 variations
Back to Mission Lab

1. Evidence status

Current evidence does not directly cover this combination of oxygen, pressure, airflow, gravity.

This is a statement about evidence, not a prediction: MicroFire does not estimate whether a fire would start or spread.

Mismatch budget for the closest record, Saffire VI sample VI-2

  1. GravityNo test in this regimeyou lunar gravity · record orbit
  2. OxygenOutside toleranceyou 34 % · record 31 % · 3 points apart
  3. PressureWithin toleranceyou 56.5 kPa · record 54.1 kPa · 2.4 kPa apart
  4. AirflowExactyou 20 cm/s · record 20 cm/s

Largest uncertainty: gravity. The closest record ran in orbit, not lunar gravity.

Evidence families consulted

SaffireLUCIBASS and BASS-IIMartian-gravity drop testsFM² (planned)SoFIEFLEXACME

The test that would close the gap

34 % O₂, 56.5 kPa, 20 cm/s airflow, lunar gravity. The closest record, Saffire VI sample VI-2, differs in gravity, oxygen.

Tolerance check: across 1,000 variations of the ladder tolerances, the direct rung is empty in 100 % and Saffire VI sample VI-2 stays the closest record in 100 %.

2. Closest NASA test records

RecordFamilyConditionsNASA recordedDiffers inSource
Saffire VI sample VI-2SaffireSIBAL fabric, 31 % O₂, 54.1 kPa, 20 cm/sReached a steady size and spread rate quicklymicrogravity, not lunar gravity; 31 % O₂, not 34 %Saffire VI results, Test matrix, PDF p. 3
Saffire VI sample VI-3SaffirePMMA, 30.3 % O₂, 54.6 kPa, 20 cm/sGrew continuously until the flow was reducedmicrogravity, not lunar gravity; 30.3 % O₂, not 34 %Saffire VI results, Test matrix, PDF p. 3
Saffire VI sample VI-4SaffirePMMA, 28.8 % O₂, 55.2 kPa, 20 cm/sGrew continuously until the flow was reducedmicrogravity, not lunar gravity; 28.8 % O₂, not 34 %Saffire VI results, Test matrix, PDF p. 3
LUCI PMMA rod (simulated lunar gravity)LUCIPMMA, 20 % O₂, 101.3 kPa, ? cm/sSpread about 6 cm, then went out20 % O₂, not 34 %; 101.3 kPa, not 56.5 kPa; airflow not recordedLunar Combustion Investigation, PDF p. 20
LUCI SIBAL (simulated lunar gravity)LUCISIBAL fabric, 20 % O₂, 101.3 kPa, ? cm/sSpread steadily for over a minute20 % O₂, not 34 %; 101.3 kPa, not 56.5 kPa; airflow not recordedLunar Combustion Investigation, PDF p. 16
Saffire V sample V-2SaffireCotton jersey, 26.2 % O₂, 70.7 kPa, 20 cm/sBurned for 200 smicrogravity, not lunar gravity; 26.2 % O₂, not 34 %; 70.7 kPa, not 56.5 kPaSaffire IV and V results, Test matrix, PDF p. 5
Saffire V sample V-3SaffirePMMA, 25.4 % O₂, 71.3 kPa, 20 cm/sOutcome not stated per sample in these sourcesmicrogravity, not lunar gravity; 25.4 % O₂, not 34 %; 71.3 kPa, not 56.5 kPaSaffire IV and V results, Test matrix, PDF p. 5
Saffire V sample V-4SaffirePMMA, 25.7 % O₂, 72.6 kPa, 20 cm/sOutcome not stated per sample in these sourcesmicrogravity, not lunar gravity; 25.7 % O₂, not 34 %; 72.6 kPa, not 56.5 kPaSaffire IV and V results, Test matrix, PDF p. 5

3. What NASA reports, verbatim

  • Analogous · Martian-gravity drop tests
    “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
  • Analogous · Martian-gravity drop tests
    “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
  • Analogous · LUCI
    “These are the first-ever, extended-duration (greater than 25 seconds) combustion tests performed in simulated Lunar gravity.”
    Lunar Combustion Investigation, abstract
  • Analogous · LUCI
    “Finally, the experiment is a steppingstone to the ultimate goal of performing burn tests on the Lunar surface in the Flammability of Materials on the Moon (FM2) experiment which is planned to launch in late 2026.”
    Lunar Combustion Investigation, abstract
  • Analogous · FM² (planned)
    “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
  • Mechanistic only · FLEX
    “A principle objective was to determine the limiting oxygen index (LOI), the oxygen percentage below which combustion would not occur.”
    FLEX droplet results, PDF p. 8
  • Mechanistic only · FLEX
    “Observed LOI values for these fuels appear to be slightly lower than initially expected.”
    FLEX droplet results, PDF p. 8

4. Gaps, and the test that would close them

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

Matched-condition test: 34 % O₂, 56.5 kPa, 20 cm/s airflow, lunar gravity. The closest record, Saffire VI sample VI-2, differs in gravity, oxygen.

5. Most similar BASS-II tests, with ranking robustness

TestMission RelevanceMedian rankRank rangeTop 3
GMT45-T153011–1100 %
GMT190-T213022–2100 %
GMT178-T173033–3100 %
GMT222-T112344–40 %
F2755–50 %
Mission Relevance, Evidence Confidence and Ranking Robustness are MicroFire Atlas heuristics, documented on the Methodology page. NASA did not set, review or endorse them. This brief describes evidence coverage. It is not a fire-risk assessment, a safety rating or a prediction. Not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.