NASA to Test Material Flammability on the Lunar Surface

NASA researchers, in collaboration with Case Western Reserve University, are planning a new experiment to study how materials burn in the unique environment of the Moon. The experiment, named Flammability of Materials on the Moon (FM2), is scheduled to launch to the lunar surface on a future Commercial Lunar Payload Service (CLPS) mission.

The objective is to test how solid fuel samples burn in lunar gravity, which is about one-sixth of Earth's gravity.

Why Test Fire on the Moon?

Current safety standards for materials used in spacecraft, such as NASA-STD-6001B, are tested under Earth's gravity. However, flame behavior changes dramatically in space environments.

• On Earth, gravity-driven convection pulls air into a flame and carries hot gases away, affecting how fire spreads. This can sometimes cause a flame to self-extinguish in a condition called "blowoff."
• In microgravity, like aboard the International Space Station, flames form slow-burning spheres and spread in different ways, heavily influenced by a spacecraft's ventilation airflow.

Previous studies of fire in space include the Spacecraft Fire Safety (Saffire) experiments in uncrewed cargo capsules, as well as brief tests in drop towers and parabolic flights. The FM2 experiment aims to fill a critical gap in this research.

Inside the FM2 Experiment

The FM2 hardware is a self-contained chamber designed to operate autonomously on the Moon. Inside, it will ignite four separate solid fuel samples. A suite of instruments—including cameras, radiometers, and oxygen sensors—will monitor the combustion process.

This setup is intended to provide several minutes of combustion data in sustained partial gravity, a condition not replicable on Earth.

Implications for Future Lunar Exploration

Understanding how materials burn in lunar gravity is considered vital for the safety of astronauts.

Data from this experiment may inform future updates to material safety standards for spaceflight, helping to ensure that habitats, vehicles, and equipment for the Artemis program and beyond are as safe as possible.

Conducting such an experiment on the Moon represents a novel approach to gathering essential data for human exploration.