More: fire-safety equipment, Earth, spacesuits and rockets
This page shows which PSI combustion investigations relate to fire detection, suppression and prevention, what their PSI records and NASA's challenge statement say about uses on Earth, and what lies outside PSI (spacesuits, rockets). Every sentence in quotation marks is copied word for word, with its source named.
Fire-safety equipment & Earth
“NASA’s spacecraft fire safety work is focused on prevention, detection, and suppression.” (NASA Space Apps 2026 challenge statement, challenge page). Below, one card per leg: only quotes, each from a PSI record field or from the challenge statement.
Detection: smoke and aerosol measurements
“Fire detection was tested in microgravity through the Smoke and Aerosol Measurement Experiment studies (SAME and SAME-R).” (NASA Space Apps 2026 challenge statement)
“The SAME experiment will provide technology for an advanced fire detector for future spacecraft” (PSI record PSI-102, field researchImpacts)
“the results from SAME-R can lead to technology for an advanced fire detector for future spacecraft” (PSI record PSI-101, field researchImpacts)
“NASA technology has similarly led to improvements in terrestrial smoke detection” (NASA Space Apps 2026 challenge statement, part of a sentence)
Investigations: SAME · SAME-R
Every investigation tagged detection in the lens matrix
Suppression: diluting the atmosphere
“Suppression was studied in the Flame Extinguishment Experiment (FLEX) through dilution of the chamber atmosphere with carbon dioxide and helium, both of which suppress fire.” (NASA Space Apps 2026 challenge statement)
“measure the effectiveness of various gaseous fire suppressants such as CO2, He, and SF6” (PSI record PSI-69, field objective)
“Fine-water-mist extinguishers developed for use on the ISS have practical applications here on Earth” (NASA Space Apps 2026 challenge statement, part of a sentence)
Investigations: FLEX
Every investigation tagged suppression in the lens matrix
Prevention: material flammability and material selection
“Prevention is achieved by controlling ignition sources and through material selection, which depends on understanding flammability limits.” (NASA Space Apps 2026 challenge statement)
“Flammability studies focus on solid materials such as fabrics and plastics, as studied in the Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS and BASS-II) and Spacecraft Fire Safety Demonstration (Saffire-I, -II, and -III) investigations.” (NASA Space Apps 2026 challenge statement)
“Current NASA spacecraft materials selection is based on a standard test method (NASA–STD–6001 Test 1) that segregates material based on 1-g behavior without consideration of low gravity effects.” (PSI record PSI-26, field researchImpacts)
“Study the ignition, flame growth, flame spread, and extinction limits for solid fuels burning in low-velocity forced flows in microgravity.” (PSI record PSI-25, field objective)
“investigate the low-g flammability limits compared to those obtained in NASA’s normal gravity material flammability screening test.” (PSI record PSI-98, field objective)
Investigations: BASS · BASS-II · SAFFIRE-I · SAFFIRE-II · SAFFIRE-III
Every investigation tagged prevention in the lens matrix
On Earth, as stated in the PSI record
NASA's challenge says: “Your dashboard could also address potential applications of the PSI data to fire safety on Earth.” Below are only the investigations' own sentences from the researchImpacts field of their PSI records that speak of use on Earth (21 sentences from 16 investigations). They are what the records state, not claims checked by PYRION. Which sentences are shown is a PYRION convention: those that say “on Earth”, “for Earth”, “to Earth”, “terrestrial”, “Earth benefits” or “Earth environments”.
“This project has the potential for improving efficiency and reducing pollutant emissions in terrestrial combustors.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-10/_investigation/PSI-10.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/w4zy-bt45
“The use of electric fields to control flames can reduce the production of harmful pollutants in practical terrestrial combustion.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-22/_investigation/PSI-22.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/se5a-8c73
“In outer space, fuels burn as oval balls rather than with an upward pointed cone flame as they do on Earth.”
“These models can then be used to more accurately study flames on Earth, such as in wildfires, building fires, energy recapture from waste recycling, and other combustion problems.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-25/_investigation/PSI-25.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/4qc4-de67
“These models have wide applicability to the general understanding of many terrestrial combustion problems and will guide novel spacecraft design and ensure the safety of future crewed missions.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-26/_investigation/PSI-26.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/58h4-dy80
CFI PSI-39
“The research will also help combustion chemists to develop new computational models to compute combustion performance in for many practical applications on earth, including an understanding of how cool flame reactivity determines octane and cetane number for fuels in spark ignition and diesel engines.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-39/_investigation/PSI-39.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/m6pj-a914
“Additionally, the successful adaptation of the TSI P-Trak for microgravity can inform the design of instruments for use in other challenging Earth environments, such as submarines or underwater laboratories where accurate detection of smoke can save lives.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-47/_investigation/PSI-47.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/ztgj-d202
“This study sought to enhance understanding of soot formation, flame structure, and radiative transport under microgravity and normal gravity, improving predictive models for combustion in both spacecraft and terrestrial systems.”
“On Earth, the insights help reduce pollutant emissions, optimize combustion efficiency, and inform the design of cleaner energy and industrial systems.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-60/_investigation/PSI-60.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/mzjm-yv57
“On Earth, these advancements could improve combustion modeling by deepening our understanding of coupled thermal, chemical, and flow processes, which betters fire safety standards.”
“Overall, this research can contribute significantly to safer human exploration in space and improvements to fire safety protocols on Earth.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-62/_investigation/PSI-62.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/e9xp-ex83
“The research impacts and Earth benefits of the FLEX mission are significant and multifaceted.”
“On Earth, the insights gained from these experiments have the potential to advance fire safety in confined and reduced-gravity environments, such as submarines or high-altitude aircraft.”
“Overall, the FLEX mission's contributions to combustion science have the potential to enhance both space exploration safety and terrestrial fire safety technologies.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-69/_investigation/PSI-69.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/mbq8-0451
“Studying fire in small, sealed environments such as the Cygnus cargo supply vehicle benefits fire safety and prevention efforts on Earth, including inside mines, airplanes, or submarines.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-98/_investigation/PSI-98.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/0t15-1z43
“Studying fire in small, sealed environments such as the Cygnus cargo supply vehicle benefits fire safety and prevention efforts on Earth, including inside mines, airplanes, or submarines.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-99/_investigation/PSI-99.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/2chp-m469
“Studying fire in small, sealed environments such as the Cygnus cargo supply vehicle benefits fire safety and prevention efforts on Earth, including inside mines, airplanes, or submarines.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-100/_investigation/PSI-100.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/040q-4h36
“The smoke detectors developed from the results of SAME can also be useful in other extreme environments on Earth, such as submarines or underwater laboratories.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-101/_investigation/PSI-101.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/2np7-jv14
“The results from SAME are needed to provide the reduced gravity baseline data against which future detection technology developments can be evaluated.The smoke detectors developed from the results of SAME can also be useful in other extreme environments on Earth, such as submarines or underwater laboratories.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-102/_investigation/PSI-102.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/gd4k-8h62
“Improved numerical models for flame behavior lead to more efficient combustion technologies on Earth.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-106/_investigation/PSI-106.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/pm12-rg61
“Earth Benefits: Advances low-temperature combustion understanding relevant to engine knock, efficiency, and emissions; delivers validated CFD tools transferrable to practical combustors.”
As stated in the PSI record (data/raw/psi-data/PSI-117/_investigation/PSI-117.json, field researchImpacts). PSI DOI 10.60555/gz0q-b577
Spacesuit atmosphere: outside PSI
From NASA's challenge: “To enable flexibility, spacesuits are filled with 100% oxygen to only 4.3 psi (pounds per square inch), where the Earth's pressure at sea level is 14.7 psi.”
- Oxygen
- 100 %
- Total pressure
- 4.3 psi
- Oxygen partial pressure
- 29.65 kPa (4.3 psia)
Oxygen partial pressure = 100 % x 29.65 kPa (4.3 psia) = 29.65 kPa (4.3 psia). computed by code (PYRION engine, unit table of validation/run_all.py (1 psia = 6.894757 kPa, 1 atm = 101.325 kPa, 1 mmHg = 0.1333224 kPa)).
Outside PSI: no PSI test at these conditions. The highest ambient oxygen of any PSI test is 40 %. This card is information, not a verdict. NASA's material test standard is NASA-STD-6001B, Flammability, Offgassing, and Compatibility Requirements and Test Procedures (approved 08-26-2011; the file is in data/raw/nasa/nasa-std-6001b/). A historical copy on standards.nasa.gov. No DOI.
Rockets and propellants: beyond PSI's scope
NASA's challenge says, in a footnote: “Fire safety involving rockets and propellants is generally beyond the scope of the research available in the PSI database. The high velocities within rocket engines render the combustion effectively independent of gravity — although a rocket's launch is of course strongly dependent on gravity.” PYRION therefore does not address rocket or propellant fire safety.