NASA Space Apps 2026 · Flame in Freefall
Fire-safety
evidence
for crewed
spaceflight
Explore 24 NASA research profiles. Compare the conditions, inspect the measurements, and trace what the evidence establishes about prevention, detection and suppression.
- NASA profiles
- 24
- Findings & context
- 16
- Atmosphere cases
- 7
- Detector rows
- 154
- Registry sources
- 12
01 / Prevention · Atmosphere
2/7
2 of 7 Saffire burns ran inside the Moon Base atmosphere range
The challenge describes 30% oxygen or more and 10.2 psi or less. Only VI-3 and VI-2 sit inside that range. The highest oxygen level in this set is 31%.
Compare atmosphere cases↗Scroll to view the full plot.
ICES-2026-577, Table 1 · atmosphere coordinates, not a flammability result · psi and pO₂ are arithmetic.
02 / Detection · Smoke
+70/133
A pooled detector result hides two flights that disagree
At a 2 V cutoff, scatter is at or above cutoff in 70 more rows of 133 than obscuration. Split by flight, the sign flips: −6/25 on SAME, +76/108 on SAME-R.
Open the smoke lab↗Scroll to view the full plot.
- Channels
- ISS scatter (AW) minus ISS obscuration (AV)
- Cutoff range
- Each cutoff anywhere in 1 to 3 V; bars are exact bounds, not confidence intervals.
- Cell audit
- 108 of 108 SAME-R obscuration readings are stored as exactly 0 V.
- Interpretation
- Opposite signs hold across the range. The channels have different measurement operators; these counts do not establish detector superiority.
NASA PSI-101, Material Sort sheet · a cutoff is not an alarm threshold · rows are not independent trials. Inspect the source
03 / Suppression · Droplets
Out?
A droplet flame can look extinguished while it keeps burning as a cool flame
FLEX observed hot-flame extinction leading to low-temperature 'cool-flame' burning; these cool flames produce partially oxidized fuel and can potentially re-ignite to hot flames. Visible-flame disappearance is not proof that all reaction has stopped—at least for the tested liquid-fuel droplets.
Read the suppression findings↗NASA source wording
A new phenomenon where a hot flame extinction leads to a low-temperature, “cool-flame” burning in microgravity has been observed for the first time. These cool flames produce partially oxidized fuel and potentially re-ignite to hot flames posing fire safety concerns in spacecraft environments.
- Scope
- Liquid fuel droplets (n-alkanes, e.g. heptane) in FLEX chamber atmospheres; not solid materials or cabin fires.
- Interpretation
- Visible flame loss is not proof that the reaction stopped.
Isolated Single Droplet Combustion: FLEX Experiments onboard the International Space Station (JASMAC-33 presentation)
04 / Models · Claim check
10rules
The same cabin model supports one comparison and rejects a stronger claim
IGNIS checks a requested claim against 10 reviewed rules. The model stays fixed; the answer depends on the quantity, conditions and intended use. Each result identifies the requirements, missing evidence and claims the source cannot support.
Check a model claim↗Later CO₂ response · Saffire VI cabin model
Comparison specified (conditional)
Compare the later remote CO2 response, conditional on the fire source supplied to the model and on the documented initial alignment. Because each curve was shifted additively to its sensor's initial value, the aligned residual equals the response-change residual (T1): the comparison tests change after the start, not the initial agreement.
- Requirements
- 1 of 2 met
- Do not claim
- Initial agreement counts as predictive success; The model is validated
Chemical heat release · Saffire VI cabin model
Not supported for this claim
This transport model receives the fire as prescribed MGR and HAR sources (S-VI p.3); it does not predict burning or chemical heat release. Its 497 kJ is sensible heat added to the cabin, not oxygen-consumption calorimetry (1280 kJ, S-CAL Table 2): the units match but the quantities do not, so their ratio is not an accuracy or efficiency. A burning prediction would need a model that predicts burning, compared against a matched calorimetry definition, boundary and window.
- Requirements
- 0 of 2 met
- Do not claim
- 497/1280 is a heat-release accuracy or efficiency; Same kJ unit means the same quantity
05 / Gaps · Where the data stops
Four limits to carry into the next study
0
Lunar or Mars gravity cases
All 7 atmosphere cases in this workspace ran in microgravity. They do not establish performance in lunar or Martian gravity.
Review the conditions ↗31%
Oxygen ceiling in this set
The highest oxygen level among these 7 cases. Richer atmospheres lie beyond the measured coordinates.
ICES-2026-577, Table 1 ↗1
Flow-direction conflict
2026 Table 1 caption: opposed flow, 20 cm/s, all seven cases. 2024 Table 1: Concurrent, 20 cm/s, its five listed cases. Flow equivalence remains unresolved.
Compare the source versions ↗108
Stored zeros need context
Every finite SAME-R obscuration value in the selected spacecraft-material rows is zero. The values alone cannot establish the channel’s operational state.
Inspect the row audit ↗