Section 01NASA data and attribution
Data: NASA Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI), combustion science investigation records and experimental tables, downloaded from psi.nasa.gov. Each PSI record states its own licence: the records MARGIN uses state CC0-1.0, except PSI-10 (ACME/Flame Design), whose licence is not stated in the PSI record. Published values that are not in PSI are quoted from NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) documents and the other sources listed on this page, under the terms each states. MARGIN is not endorsed by NASA and uses no NASA logos or insignia. These data terms are separate from the licence of MARGIN’s own code (Apache-2.0).
NASA data is used under the terms each source states. Use of NASA data does not imply endorsement by NASA. MARGIN uses no NASA logos, insignia or mission patches. The app makes no calls to NASA at run time: the PSI tables were downloaded once by pipeline/fetch-psi.mjs and normalised into a versioned snapshot.
The data licences are separate from the licence of MARGIN’s own code (Apache-2.0, below).
Section 02PSI investigations
| Accession | Investigation | Run rows | DOI | Licence (as stated by PSI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSI-10 | ACME/Flame Design Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments / Flame Design | 327 | 10.60555/w4zy-bt45 | not stated in PSI record |
| PSI-20 | ACME BRE Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments - Burning Rate Emulator | — (18 summary) | 10.60555/vb93-3y72 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-21 | ACME CLD Flame Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments / Coflow Laminar Diffusion Flame | — (32 summary) | 10.60555/23e1-9950 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-22 | ACME E-FIELD Flames Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments Electric-Field Effects on Laminar Diffusion Flames | — (32 summary) | 10.60555/se5a-8c73 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-23 | ACME s-Flame Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments-Structure and Response of Spherical Diffusion Flames | — (18 summary) | 10.60555/k57n-p030 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-25 | BASS-II Burning and Suppression of Solids - II | 129 | 10.60555/4qc4-de67 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-26 | BASS Burning and Suppression of Solids | 121 | 10.60555/58h4-dy80 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-39 | CFI Cool Flames Investigation | 87 | 10.60555/m6pj-a914 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-47 | DAFT / DAFT-2 Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test / Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test-2 | — (2 summary) | 10.60555/ztgj-d202 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-60 | SPICE data analysis Computational and Experimental Analysis of SPICE Data Sets | — | 10.60555/mzjm-yv57 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-62 | BASS flame-spread modelling Concurrent Flame Spread Modeling using Flamelet Generated Manifolds in Microgravity with Comparison to BASS Experiments using Two-Color Tomography | — | 10.60555/e9xp-ex83 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-68 | FLEX-2 Flame Extinguishment Experiment - 2 | — (8 summary) | 10.60555/byp8-h018 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-69 | FLEX Flame Extinguishment Experiment | 274 | 10.60555/mbq8-0451 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-98 | SAFFIRE-I Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiment-I | 2 | 10.60555/0t15-1z43 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-99 | SAFFIRE-II Spacecraft Fire Experiment-II | 9 | 10.60555/2chp-m469 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-100 | SAFFIRE-III Spacecraft Fire Experiment-III | 2 | 10.60555/040q-4h36 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-101 | SAME-R Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment-Reflight | 109 | 10.60555/2np7-jv14 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-102 | SAME Smoke and Aerosol Measurement Experiment | 8 | 10.60555/gd4k-8h62 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-106 | SLICE Structure and Liftoff In Combustion Experiment | — (12 summary) | 10.60555/pm12-rg61 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-107 | SPICE Smoke Point In Co-flow Experiment | 469 | 10.60555/9kbh-e962 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-115 | SAME smoke modelling Utilization of the Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment Data for Advanced Modeling and Simulation of Smoke Generation in Micro-Gravity | — | 10.60555/q0v5-1v28 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-117 | Cool-flame CFD Effect of External Thermo-Convective Perturbation on Cool Flame Dynamics: A Multidimensional Multi-Physics CFD Analysis | — | 10.60555/gz0q-b577 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-142 | Counterflow cool flames Quantitative Studies of Cool Flame Transitions at Radiation / Stretch Extinction Using Counterflow Flames | — (8 summary) | 10.60555/80qf-vj95 | CC0-1.0 |
| PSI-159 | ACME CFI-G Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments / Cool Flames Investigation with Gases | 333 | 10.60555/cyt1-kh64 | CC0-1.0 |
PSI portal: psi.nasa.gov. Each run in MARGIN keeps the CSV file name and 1-based row number it came from.
Section 03Published values
All 29 published or planned values have been checked against their primary source (SI-assisted; human sign-off pending), each with its page or table and a short verbatim quote. Reported limits are thresholds inferred by the authors, not tested conditions. Planned experiments are never counted as evidence.
| Record | Material | g | Conditions and basis | Source and locator | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUB-SAFFIRE: Published (not in PSI) | PMMA, 2-sided (1 cm) | µg | 22% O₂ · 100 kPa · 20 cm/s O₂ measured; P measured | Urban et al., ICES-2026-577 (NTRS 20260001992), Table 1, p. 6All samples were 40 cm wide in 20 cm/s opposed flow. | checked sources disagree |
| PUB-SAFFIRE: Published (not in PSI) | PMMA, 1-sided (0.5 cm) | µg | 26% O₂ · 74.5 kPa · 20 cm/s O₂ measured; P measured | Urban et al., ICES-2026-577 (NTRS 20260001992), Table 1, p. 6All samples were 40 cm wide in 20 cm/s opposed flow. | checked sources disagree |
| PUB-SAFFIRE: Published (not in PSI) | PMMA, 2-sided (1 cm) | µg | 30% O₂ · 54.4 kPa · 20 cm/s O₂ measured; P measured | Urban et al., ICES-2026-577 (NTRS 20260001992), Table 1, p. 6All samples were 40 cm wide in 20 cm/s opposed flow. | checked sources disagree |
| PUB-SAFFIRE: Published (not in PSI) | PMMA, 1-sided (0.5 cm) | µg | 29% O₂ · 55 kPa · 20 cm/s O₂ measured; P measured | Urban et al., ICES-2026-577 (NTRS 20260001992), Table 1, p. 6All samples were 40 cm wide in 20 cm/s opposed flow. | checked sources disagree |
| PUB-SAFFIRE: Published (not in PSI) | SIBAL fabric, 2-sided | µg | 23% O₂ · 98 kPa · 20 cm/s O₂ measured; P measured | Urban et al., ICES-2026-577 (NTRS 20260001992), Table 1, p. 6All samples were 40 cm wide in 20 cm/s opposed flow. | checked sources disagree |
| PUB-SAFFIRE: Published (not in PSI) | Cotton jersey, 2-sided | µg | 28% O₂ · 74.1 kPa · 20 cm/s O₂ measured; P measured | Urban et al., ICES-2026-577 (NTRS 20260001992), Table 1, p. 6All samples were 40 cm wide in 20 cm/s opposed flow. | checked sources disagree |
| PUB-SAFFIRE: Published (not in PSI) | SIBAL fabric, 2-sided | µg | 31% O₂ · 54.1 kPa · 20 cm/s O₂ measured; P measured | Urban et al., ICES-2026-577 (NTRS 20260001992), Table 1, p. 6All samples were 40 cm wide in 20 cm/s opposed flow. | checked sources disagree |
| PUB-BASS2: Published (not in PSI) | Cast PMMA rods, concurrent flow | µg | 13.5% O₂ · 101.325 kPa · concurrent O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson et al., BASS-II Summary Report, NASA/TM-20210011385, §6.1.4.4, p. 76 (PDF p. 84)13.5 percent O2 at a of 8 to 12 s⁻¹ is significantly lower than the observed upward flame spread limit of 15.4 percent O2 | limit · checked |
| PUB-BASS2: Published (not in PSI) | Cast PMMA rods, 1-g upward spread | 1 g | 15.4% O₂ · 4 cm/s O₂ reported limit; P not recorded | Olson et al., BASS-II Summary Report, NASA/TM-20210011385, §6.1.4.4, p. 76 (PDF p. 84)15.4 percent O2 (in normal gravity with an additional 4-cm/s forced flow (Ref. 23)) | limit · checked |
| PUB-LUCI: Published (not in PSI) | SIBAL fabric 5 × 30 cm, downward | Moon | 20% O₂ · 101.325 kPa · natural convection O₂ measured; P nominal (stated), not measured | Ferkul et al., LUCI, ASGSR 2025 slides (NTRS 20250010653), slides 12, 19, 33, 42Two samples are burned simultaneously in air at normal pressure | checked |
| PUB-LUCI: Published (not in PSI) | PMMA rod 4 mm, upward | Moon | 20% O₂ · 101.325 kPa · natural convection O₂ measured; P nominal (stated), not measured | Ferkul et al., LUCI, ASGSR 2025 slides (NTRS 20250010653), slides 12, 17, 22, 36O2% decreases from 20% to 14.3%. | checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Mylar G (5 mil) | 1 g | 21.2% O₂ · 70.33 kPa · natural convection O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Mylar G (5 mil) | Mars | 18% O₂ · 70.33 kPa · natural convection O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Mylar G (5 mil) | Moon | 15.6% O₂ · 70.33 kPa · natural convection O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Mylar G (5 mil) | µg | 17% O₂ · 70.33 kPa · 30 cm/s O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Ultem 1000 (10 mil) | 1 g | 23.5% O₂ · 70.33 kPa · natural convection O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Ultem 1000 (10 mil) | Mars | 22% O₂ · 70.33 kPa · natural convection O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Ultem 1000 (10 mil) | Moon | 21% O₂ · 70.33 kPa · natural convection O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Ultem 1000 (10 mil) | µg | 24% O₂ · 70.33 kPa · 30 cm/s O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Nomex HT90-40 (12 mil fabric) | 1 g | 23.5% O₂ · 101.35 kPa · natural convection O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Nomex HT90-40 (12 mil fabric) | Mars | 19.9% O₂ · 101.35 kPa · natural convection O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Nomex HT90-40 (12 mil fabric) | Moon | 21% O₂ · 101.35 kPa · natural convection O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PUB-OF2012: Published (not in PSI) | Nomex HT90-40 (12 mil fabric) | µg | 23% O₂ · 101.35 kPa · 30 cm/s O₂ reported limit; P nominal (stated), not measured | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492, Table I, p. 6Limiting Oxygen Molar Concentrations and Oxygen Margin of Safety for Different Gravity Levels | limit · checked |
| PLAN-FM2: Planned — not evidence | Fabric sheet (Synergy Pro “Navy”), upward — 2026 concept | Moon | 37% O₂ · 56.5 kPa · natural convection O₂ nominal (stated), not measured; P nominal (stated), not measured | Ferkul et al., LPSC 2026 slides (NTRS 20260001966), “Current concept” (PDF p. 5); “FM2 Science Requirements” (PDF p. 10)Start at 37% should burn to threshold | planned sources disagree |
| PLAN-FM2: Planned — not evidence | Fabric sheet (Synergy Pro “Navy”), upward — 2026 concept | Moon | 33% O₂ · 56.5 kPa · natural convection O₂ nominal (stated), not measured; P nominal (stated), not measured | Ferkul et al., LPSC 2026 slides (NTRS 20260001966), “Current concept” (PDF p. 5); “FM2 Science Requirements” (PDF p. 10)Start at 33% should burn to threshold | planned sources disagree |
| PLAN-FM2: Planned — not evidence | Fabric sheet (Synergy Pro “Navy”), upward — 2026 concept | Moon | 29% O₂ · 56.5 kPa · natural convection O₂ nominal (stated), not measured; P nominal (stated), not measured | Ferkul et al., LPSC 2026 slides (NTRS 20260001966), “Current concept” (PDF p. 5); “FM2 Science Requirements” (PDF p. 10)Start at 29% should burn to threshold | planned sources disagree |
| PLAN-FM2: Planned — not evidence | Fabric sheet (Synergy Pro “Navy”), upward — 2026 concept | Moon | 25% O₂ · 56.5 kPa · natural convection O₂ nominal (stated), not measured; P nominal (stated), not measured | Ferkul et al., LPSC 2026 slides (NTRS 20260001966), “Current concept” (PDF p. 5); “FM2 Science Requirements” (PDF p. 10)Start at 25% not expected to ignite but would provide a margin of safety if the limit was lower than expected. | planned sources disagree |
| PLAN-FM2: Planned — not evidence | SIBAL fabric, in air — 2024 plan | Moon | 21% O₂ · 101.4 kPa · natural convection O₂ nominal (stated), not measured; P nominal (stated), not measured | Zayac et al., 2024 poster (NTRS 20240015307), Introductionspecifically 21% oxygen at 14.7 psia, and 34% oxygen at 8.2 psia | planned sources disagree |
| PLAN-FM2: Planned — not evidence | PMMA (acrylic) rod, 4 mm — 2024 plan | Moon | 34% O₂ · 56.5 kPa · natural convection O₂ nominal (stated), not measured; P nominal (stated), not measured | Zayac et al., 2024 poster (NTRS 20240015307), Introductionspecifically 21% oxygen at 14.7 psia, and 34% oxygen at 8.2 psia | planned sources disagree |
Section 04Reference atmospheres
The reference cabin atmospheres on the Atlas are fixed values. Each was checked against the document that states it; a disagreement is reported here, not applied.
| Atmosphere | Values | Locator and quote | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISS cabin | 20.9% O₂ · 14.7 psia 101.4 kPa | NASA-STD-6001B w/Change 2, Test 1 clarification j (section 6.3), p. 30The term “ambient conditions” refers to an oxygen concentration of 20.9 percent, a pressure of 101.4 kPa (14.7 psia) 20.9% / 14.7 psia is the standard's definition of ambient test conditions. For the ISS cabin itself, ICES-2022-45 (NTRS 20220006612) p. 1 gives “~14.7 psia and ~21% oxygen”. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| Artemis surface habitat (nominal) | 26.5% O₂ · 10.2 psia 70.3 kPa | Kessler et al., IEEE Aerospace 2022 (NTRS 20220000245), p. 4The SH is assumed to operate at a nominal atmospheric operating pressure of 10.2 psia and 26.5% oxygen concentration Stated as an assumption for the surface habitat (SH). The same paragraph says trade studies were assessing a move to a nominal 8.2 psia, with the habitat keeping the capability to support both pressures. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| Pressurized rover / lunar base — Exploration Atmosphere | 34% O₂ · 8.2 psia 56.5 kPa | Abney et al., ICES-2022-45 (NTRS 20220006612), p. 8HEO-DM-1006 specifies that a nominal total cabin pressure of 8.2 psia and O2 greater than or equal to 33.7% is needed HEO-DM-1006 itself was not found on NTRS; checked as quoted by ICES-2022-45. The 34% value: FM2 LPSC 2026 slides (NTRS 20260001966), PDF p. 25, “HLS, Lunar habitat and pressurized rover will nominally use 8.2 psia / 34% O2”; NASA/TM-2013-217377 (NTRS 20130013505) p. 13. ICES-2022-45 abstract says “8.3 psia” once; its body text says 8.2 psia. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| Legacy staging certification (reference) | 30% O₂ · 10.2 psia 70.3 kPa | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492 (NTRS 20130010991), p. 1currently 30% oxygen at 10.2 psia which is the pre-breath environment on the ISS for spacewalks Also FM2 LPSC 2026 slides, PDF p. 27: “This has historically been 30% O2, 10.2 psia (shuttle pre-EVA atm)”. NASA/TM-2013-217377 gives 10.2 psia / 26.5% O₂ as the Shuttle staged-decompression atmosphere; 30% is the worst-case test atmosphere used for material ratings. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| Mars transit vehicle (assumed) | 34% O₂ · 8.2 psia 56.5 kPa | Exploration Atmosphere assumption Assumption made by design (same as the Exploration Atmosphere). No NASA document specifying a Mars-transit cabin atmosphere was found. | not yet checked |
| Spacesuit | 100% O₂ · 4.3 psia 29.6 kPa | Challenge statement, “Spacesuits and oxygen concentration” sectionspacesuits are filled with 100% oxygen to only 4.3 psi Also FM2 LPSC 2026 slides (NTRS 20260001966), PDF p. 25: “100% O2, 4.3 psia”. 29.6 kPa is 4.3 psia converted. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
Section 05Findings
18 of 19 findings have been checked against their primary source and are shown in the app. The others stay hidden until checked.
| Finding | Validity | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| On the ISS, PMMA rods in low-speed forced flow kept burning at a lower O₂ than the 1-g upward-spread limit reported for the same material. 13.5% vs 15.4% O₂ · BASS-II, cast PMMA rods in concurrent flow, minimum of the flammability boundary at stretch rate 8–12 s⁻¹; the 1-g value is upward spread with an added 4 cm/s forced flow (Hirsch et al. 2003, as cited in the report) | MEASURED | Olson et al., BASS-II Summary Report, NASA/TM-20210011385, §6.1.4.4, p. 76 (PDF p. 84)13.5 percent O2 at a of 8 to 12 s⁻¹ is significantly lower than the observed upward flame spread limit of 15.4 percent O2 | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| Near the low-O₂ limit, PMMA rods on the ISS took far longer to ignite than the igniter-on time used in the NASA standard test, and ignition limits sat above flammability limits. up to ≈10× the standard igniter-on time · BASS-II, cast PMMA rods, hot-wire igniter, ISS Microgravity Science Glovebox; ignition attempts of up to 500 s failed at very low O₂ | MEASURED | Olson et al., BASS-II Summary Report, NASA/TM-20210011385, §6.1.6, p. 89 (PDF p. 97); 500 s attempts §6.1.3, p. 67 (PDF p. 75)The ignition delay time can be up to almost 10 times longer than the NASA STD–6001 standard igniter on time. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| Without buoyancy to carry it away, fuel vapour from heated samples accumulated and ignited as a sudden deflagration in two Saffire tests. 2 of 5 Saffire IV–V tests · Saffire IV-2 (2-sided PMMA, 100 kPa, 22% O₂, after flow was cut to 5 cm/s) and V-4 (structured PMMA, 72.6 kPa, 25.7% O₂, at ignition in 20 cm/s flow), conditions as in ICES-2021-266 Table 1 | MEASURED | Urban et al., ICES-2021-266 (NTRS 20210011521), §III.B, p. 5; V-4 at ignition p. 7Two Saffire samples (IV-2 and V-4) exhibited intense ignition processes of deflagration because of a stratified mixture | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| For Mylar at 10.2 psia, drop-tower tests found a lower limiting O₂ at lunar gravity than at either 0 g or 1 g: microgravity and Earth results did not bound lunar behaviour for this material. ULOI: Moon 15.6 · 0 g 17.0 · 1 g 21.2 % O₂ · Concurrent (upward) spread; 5.18 s drop tower with a rotating centrifuge for lunar g; 0 g with 30 cm/s concurrent flow; 1 g from WSTF tests with a hot-wire igniter; 10.2 psia | MEASURED | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492 (NTRS 20130010991), Table I, p. 6; Mylar discussion p. 7the result is a significantly negative oxygen margin of safety (~4-5%) in Martian, Lunar, and 0g. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| The gravity effect on limiting O₂ depends on the material: Ultem's 0-g limit sat slightly above its 1-g limit, and Nomex's Martian-g limit sat below its lunar-g limit. Ultem ΔO₂ (0 g) +0.25 · Nomex ULOI* Mars 19.9 vs Moon 21.0 % O₂ · Same drop-tower study: Ultem 1000 at 10.2 psia, Nomex HT90-40 at 14.7 psia; 5.18 s tests | MEASURED | Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492 (NTRS 20130010991), Table I, p. 6; charring-material discussion p. 7For these charring materials, the oxygen margin of safety in 0g is very close to zero | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| In Saffire-II, silicone sheets did not burn appreciably in microgravity at 20 cm/s, although the thinnest sheet burned almost completely in a 1-g upward test. μ-g burn length ≈ 0 for four silicone sheets (0.27–1.03 mm) · Saffire-II on Cygnus, silicone 5 cm × 29 cm, 20 cm/s concurrent or opposed flow, ≈22.1% O₂ (ISS reading); pressure not stated in this source | MEASURED | Ferkul et al., ICES 2017 slides (NTRS 20170008805), Table I, slide 29; summary, slide 26Flammability of silicone in microgravity appears to be reduced compared to normal gravity, at least for the flow speeds tested. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| A NASA assessment of heritage ISS hardware states that many ISS materials meet flammability requirements at 10.2 psia and 30% O₂ but are unlikely to meet them at higher O₂. assessed up to 40% O₂ at 8.2 psia · Engineering assessment of 33 ISS and Orion subsystems for Exploration atmospheres (10.2 psia / 26.5% O₂ and 8.2 psia / 34% O₂) | STATED | Abney et al., ICES-2022-45 (NTRS 20220006612), p. 8Many ISS materials have been shown to meet flammability requirements at 10.2 psia and 30% O2, but are unlikely to meet the requirements | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| NASA's challenge statement says PSI currently holds no partial-gravity combustion data. no partial-gravity combustion data in PSI (as stated) · NASA Space Apps 2026 “Flame in Freefall” challenge statement; LUCI and FM2 are named as expected future additions | STATED | NASA Space Apps Challenge 2026, Flame in Freefall, “Partial-gravity data” sectionthere is currently no partial-gravity combustion data available in PSI | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| The flammability boundary for PMMA rods in microgravity is U-shaped in O₂ versus flow: flames go out at very low flow (quenching) and at high flow (blowoff), with the lowest O₂ in between. minimum ≈ 13.5% O₂ at stretch rate 8–12 s⁻¹ · BASS-II, cast PMMA rods in concurrent axial stagnation flow (0–55 cm/s duct flow); the minimum is reported as a stretch rate, not a single flow speed | MEASURED | Olson et al., BASS-II Summary Report, NASA/TM-20210011385, §6.1.4.4, p. 76 (PDF p. 84)This “Goldilocks” zone of flow is unfortunately typical of spacecraft ventilation flows near surfaces. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| In Saffire IV–VI, flames on thick PMMA did not spread along the sample; they stayed anchored at the leading edge and grew linearly, without the acceleration seen in upward burning in 1 g. 0.22–0.38 mm/s flame-length growth · Saffire IV–VI on Cygnus, PMMA 40 cm wide (5 or 10 mm thick), 20 cm/s duct flow, 22–30% O₂, 54–100 kPa (ICES-2026-577 Table 1) | MEASURED | Urban et al., ICES-2026-577 (NTRS 20260001992), §III, p. 5; Table 1, p. 6The PMMA samples all showed intervals of very linear flame growth for periods of several minutes. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| The size of the flow enclosure changed flame spread over thin fabric: lowering the duct height from 46 cm to 30 cm roughly doubled the spread rate. ≈ +100% spread rate · SIBAL fabric 40–41 cm wide, 20–25 cm/s concurrent flow, ≈100 kPa, 21–22% O₂ (Saffire I and III vs IV, ICES-2021-266 Table 2) | MEASURED | Urban et al., ICES-2021-266 (NTRS 20210011521), §III.C and Table 2, p. 8As expected, the spread rate increased (about 100%) with the reduced height flow duct compared to Saffire I and III. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| On a rotating New Shepard flight at lunar g, a SIBAL fabric flame spread steadily downward for over a minute; with the same hardware in 1 g the flame went out about 45 s sooner. flame base 0.92 mm/s, tip 1.1 mm/s · LUCI, New Shepard (launched 4 Feb 2025), 11 rpm at 1.22 m radius, air at normal pressure, O₂ falling from ~20% to ~18% during the burn | MEASURED | Ferkul et al., LUCI (NTRS 20250010653), slide 16 (caption), slide 19 (spread rates), slide 34 (1-g comparison)SIBAL fabric (cotton-fiberglass blend) burning downward in Lunar-g 30 s after ignition. The flame spread for over a minute. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| In Saffire VI, the fires barely changed cabin temperature and pressure, while CO and CO₂ rose above crew exposure limits in the PMMA tests. ΔT 0.25–0.50 °C · ΔP 0.25–0.34 mbar · CO rise 122–338 ppm (24-h SMAC 100 ppm) · Saffire VI on Cygnus, free volume 16.7 m³, 54–55 kPa, 29–31% O₂; increases measured at the far-field unit over an unscrubbed baseline | MEASURED | Urban et al., ICES-2026-577 (NTRS 20260001992), abstract, p. 2; Table 1, p. 6Overall, the pressure rise and temperature change were small but the smoke particulate rose to substantial levels and the gaseous products also achieved hazardous levels. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| At a 2 mg/m³ aerosol reference threshold, both Saffire VI PMMA fires were detected only after CO had already risen above the 24-hour crew limit. alarm at 1,037 s and 1,603 s · CO rise at alarm 105 and 283 ppm (24-h SMAC 100 ppm) · Saffire VI-3 and VI-4, PMMA, 54–55 kPa, 29–30% O₂, 20 cm/s duct flow; reference alarm = DustTrak aerosol reading at the far-field unit | MEASURED | Urban et al., ICES-2026-577 (NTRS 20260001992), Table 1, p. 6; §III, p. 9both PMMA samples from SAFFIRE VI exceeded the CO threshold with the 1-sided sample approaching the 1-hour SMAC | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| During SAME, the ISS smoke detector failed to alarm for Kapton smoke in half of the tests and for Teflon smoke in two-thirds. 1/2 Kapton · 2/3 Teflon · SAME on ISS: materials heated below ignition; SAME-2 used five materials and air flow from quiescent to 8 cm/s | MEASURED | Fortenberry et al., fire detection white paper (NTRS 20210022143), Introduction, p. 2the ISS detector failed to alarm for Kapton smoke in half of the tests and for Teflon smoke in two-thirds of the tests | secondary source only (the original was not reachable) |
| Turning the airflow off did not reliably put fires out: a 2-sided PMMA flame survived 15 s without flow and a cotton fabric flame grew back after 70 s; holding 5 cm/s for 300 s before shut-off was followed by immediate extinction in two tests. 15 s and 70 s without flow · 5 cm/s for 300 s · Saffire IV-2 (PMMA, 100 kPa, 22% O₂), V-2 (cotton, 70.7 kPa, 26.2% O₂), V-3 and V-4 (PMMA, 71.3–72.6 kPa, 25.4–25.7% O₂), values as in ICES-2021-266 Table 1 | MEASURED | Urban et al., ICES-2021-266 (NTRS 20210011521), §III.A, pp. 4–5However, as an extinguishment strategy, this would carry other risks given the uncertainty of configurations and flow rates in a spacecraft. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| NASA reports that FLEX droplet flammability limits are lower in reduced gravity, so terrestrial standards for inert-gas suppressants may not give the same margin in low gravity. methanol LOI ≈ 12–13% O₂ at atmospheric pressure · FLEX on ISS (CIR/MDCA), methanol droplets 1–4.5 mm, 13–30% O₂ with N₂, CO₂ or He; value from Nayagam, Dietrich & Williams, JASMAC-33 slides (NTRS 20210022617), slide 4 | MEASURED | Gokoglu et al., A Researcher's Guide to: Combustion Science, NP-2015-10-034-JSC, Researcher's Guide p. 12 (claim); JASMAC-33 slide 4 (value)The research to date has shown that the flammability limit is lower in reduced gravity. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| A NASA heritage-hardware assessment states that the ISS water-mist and Orion water-spray portable extinguishers are approved for use at 10.2 psia and 30% O₂, and that higher O₂ could reduce their ability to put out a fire. approved for use at 10.2 psia / 30% O₂ · Assessment for Exploration atmospheres up to 40% O₂ at 8.2 psia | STATED | Abney et al., ICES-2022-45 (NTRS 20220006612), p. 10Increased O2 concentrations could decrease the ability of water-spray and/or water-mist PFEs to extinguish a fire. | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
| After the visible hot flame went out, large n-alkane droplets kept burning as a weak, low-temperature cool flame; the FLEX team notes these may re-ignite to hot flames. example: n-decane, ½ atm air, D₀ 4.0 mm — hot-flame extinction at 3.3 mm, cool-flame extinction at 2.7 mm · FLEX/CFI droplet tests on ISS: n-heptane, n-octane, n-decane, n-dodecane | MEASURED | Nayagam et al., FLEX (JASMAC-33, NTRS 20210022617), slide 14 (conclusions); slide 5 (fuels); slide 17 (n-decane example)These cool flames produce partially oxidized fuel and potentially re-ignite to hot flames posing fire safety concerns in spacecraft environments | checked against primary source; human sign-off pending |
Section 06References
NASA Biological and Physical Sciences Division, Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) data repository, combustion science investigation records and experimental tables.
NASA Space Apps Challenge 2026, “Flame in Freefall: SI-Powered Fire Safety Insights from Microgravity Combustion Data”, challenge statement, 2026.
Researcher’s Guide: Combustion Science (2015)
Gokoglu, S. A., Dietrich, D. L., Stocker, D. P., Ferkul, P. V., Olson, S. L., Hicks, M. C., “A Researcher’s Guide to: Combustion Science”, NASA ISS Program Science Office, NP-2015-10-034-JSC, 2015.
Olson, S. L., Ferkul, P. V., Bhattacharjee, S., Miller, F. J., Fernandez-Pello, C., Link, S., T’ien, J. S., Wichman, I., “Burning and Suppression of Solids–II (BASS–II) Summary Report”, NASA/TM-20210011385, NASA Glenn Research Center, 2021.
Olson & Ferkul, ICES-2012-3492
Olson, S. L., Ferkul, P. V., “Evaluating Material Flammability in Microgravity and Martian Gravity Compared to the NASA Standard Normal Gravity Test”, 42nd International Conference on Environmental Systems, AIAA 2012-3492, 2012.
Urban, D. L., Ruff, G. A., Ferkul, P., Easton, J., Owens, J., Olson, S., Fortenberry, C., Graf, J., et al., “Heat and Smoke Emission from Tests on the SAFFIRE IV-VI Experiments”, 55th International Conference on Environmental Systems, ICES-2026-577, 2026.
Urban, D. L., Ruff, G. A., Ferkul, P., Easton, J., Owens, J., Olson, S., Meyer, M., Fortenberry, C., et al., “Fire Safety Implications of Preliminary Results from Saffire IV and V Experiments on Large Scale Spacecraft Fires”, 50th International Conference on Environmental Systems, ICES-2021-266, 2021.
Urban, D. L., Ruff, G. A., Ferkul, P., Easton, J., Johnston, M., Owens, J., Olson, S., Fortenberry, C., et al., “Preliminary Results from the Saffire VI Experiment”, 53rd International Conference on Environmental Systems, ICES-2024-365, 2024.
Ferkul et al., ICES 2017 slides
Ferkul, P., Olson, S., Urban, D. L., Ruff, G. A., Easton, J., T’ien, J. S., Liao, Y.-T. T., Fernandez-Pello, A. C., et al., “Results of Large-Scale Spacecraft Flammability Tests”, presentation, International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2017.
Ferkul et al., LUCI (ASGSR 2025)
Ferkul, P. V., Johnston, M. C., Kralik, N., Liao, Y.-T., “Lunar Combustion Investigation: Flammability Results from a Rotating Sounding Rocket”, presentation, American Society for Gravitational and Space Research annual meeting, 2025.
Ferkul et al., FM2 (LPSC 2026)
Ferkul, P., Kralik, N., Liao, Y.-T., Johnston, M., “Material Flammability at Lunar and Martian Gravity”, presentation, 57th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 2026.
Zayac et al., FM2 poster (2024)
Zayac, J., Johnston, M., Ruff, G., Ferkul, P., “Flammability of Materials on the Moon”, poster, American Society for Gravitational and Space Research annual meeting, 2024.
Fortenberry et al., fire detection white paper
Fortenberry, C., Wang, X., Cleary, T., Easton, J., Berger, G., Meyer, M., “Research Questions and Challenges for Improved Spacecraft Fire Detection”, white paper for the NASEM Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences Research in Space 2023–2032, 2021.
Urban et al., SAME-2 (AIAA 2012-3536)
Urban, D. L., Ruff, G. A., Greenberg, P. S., Fischer, D., Meyer, M., Mulholland, G., Yuan, Z.-G., Bryg, V., et al., “Particle Morphology and Size Results from the Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment-2”, 42nd International Conference on Environmental Systems, AIAA 2012-3536, 2012.
Nayagam et al., FLEX (JASMAC-33)
Nayagam, V., Dietrich, D. L., Williams, F. A., “Isolated Single Droplet Combustion: FLEX Experiments onboard the International Space Station”, presentation, 33rd Academic Lecture Meeting of the Japan Society of Microgravity Application (JASMAC-33), 2021.
Dietrich et al., FLEX results TP (2015)
Dietrich, D. L., Ferkul, P. V., Bryg, V. M., Nayagam, M. V., Hicks, M. C., Williams, F. A., Dryer, F. L., Shaw, B. D., et al., “Detailed Results from the Flame Extinguishment Experiment (FLEX) March 2009 to December 2011”, NASA/TP-2015-216046, 2015.
Abney, M. B., Bagdigian, R. M., Hopkins, C., Knox, J. C., Pedley, M. D., Macatangay, A. V., Cagle, H. A., “Evaluation of Heritage Hardware for Use in Cabin Environments with Reduced Pressure and Increased Oxygen Concentration”, 51st International Conference on Environmental Systems, ICES-2022-45, 2022.
Kessler et al., Artemis Deep Space Habitation
Kessler, P., Prater, T., Nickens, T., Harris, D., “Artemis Deep Space Habitation: Enabling a Sustained Human Presence on the Moon and Beyond”, IEEE Aerospace Conference, 2022.
Norcross et al., NASA/TM-2013-217377
Norcross, J., Norsk, P., Law, J., Arias, D., Conkin, J., Perchonok, M., Menon, A., Huff, J., et al., “Effects of the 8 psia / 32% O2 Atmosphere on the Human in the Spaceflight Environment”, NASA/TM-2013-217377, 2013.
NASA, “Flammability, Offgassing, and Compatibility Requirements and Test Procedures”, NASA-STD-6001B w/Change 2, 2016.
Section 07Software and fonts
Built with Next.js and React (MIT), d3-scale, d3-array, d3-shape and d3-contour (ISC), and zod (MIT). Typefaces: Albert Sans and IBM Plex Mono, both under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, self-hosted through next/font (the visitor’s browser makes no request to Google). The full list is in the repository’s NOTICE file. No images are generated by AI, and no NASA imagery is used.
| Name | Kind | Used for | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Sans | Typeface | All interface and reading text | SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| IBM Plex Mono | Typeface | Run ids, file names, source locators | SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| Next.js | Package | Framework and static rendering | MIT |
| React, React DOM | Package | Interface | MIT |
| d3-scale, d3-array, d3-shape, d3-contour | Package | Scales, contours of the evidence field | ISC |
| zod | Package | Data validation | MIT |
Section 08SI (AI) use
MARGIN was created by Alex de Gentile for NASA Space Apps 2026. Alex chose the concept, decided what the tool may and may not claim, signed off the method and reviewed every change. The competition asks teams to disclose AI (SI) use, so: we used an AI coding assistant (Anthropic’s Claude) as a pair programmer and research aid. It helped with background research, wrote a large share of the code and tests under our direction, and helped cross-check published values against their primary sources. Every scientific value shown is traced to a source listed on this page, and values not yet checked are labelled as such. The running app uses no AI: every result is computed by deterministic code from the bundled data.
Section 09Licences
- MARGIN code
- Apache License 2.0.
- NASA PSI data
- As stated on each PSI record (see the table above); not relicensed by MARGIN.
- Published values
- Short factual values and quotations of ≤ 25 words, cited to their sources; the papers themselves are linked, not redistributed.
- Fonts
- Albert Sans and IBM Plex Mono: SIL Open Font License 1.1.