Solid inflammability boundary at low speed (SIBAL)

A theoretical model shows that flame spread and extinction phenomena in sub-buoyant, low-speed flow (less than 20 cm/s) are fundamentally different from those found in higher-speed flow typically encountered on earth. The scientific understanding of these phenomena, especially material flammability, is incomplete without investigating this low-speed regime in microgravity, since in normal gravity studies (in which virtually all past research was conducted) the examination of the effect of low-speed flow on flames is impossible. This proposed space experiment is vital to validate the theoretical prediction of the flammability boundary and critical low oxygen limit for a thin combusting solid in low-speed, forced-concurrent flow. It will fill a large void in experimental data and theoretical understanding.