What is the essential requirement for combustion that is primarily missing due to Mars' low oxygen partial pressure?
Answer
The necessary concentration of oxidizer molecules.
Fire requires fuel, heat, and an oxidizer (usually oxygen). Even if fuel and heat were somehow provided on the Martian surface, the chemical reaction necessary for combustion hinges on the *partial pressure* of oxygen being high enough for molecules to collide frequently within the reaction zone. Because the Martian atmosphere is incredibly thin (less than 1% of Earth's sea-level pressure) and contains only about $0.13$\% oxygen, the oxidant molecules are too sparse and too far apart to sustain the rapid, propagating chain reaction characteristic of an open flame.
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