NASA, AFOSR Test Environmentally-Friendly Rocket Propellant
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WASHINGTON -- NASA and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, or
AFOSR, have successfully launched a small rocket using an
environmentally-friendly, safe propellant comprised of aluminum
powder and water ice, called ALICE.
"This collaboration has been an opportunity for graduate students to
work on an environmentally-friendly propellant that can be used for
flight on Earth and used in long distance space missions," said NASA
Chief Engineer Mike Ryschkewitsch at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
"These sorts of university-led experimental projects encourage a new
generation of aerospace engineers to think outside of the box and
look at new ways for NASA to meet our exploration goals."
Using ALICE as fuel, a nine-foot rocket soared to a height of 1,300
feet over Purdue University's Scholer farms in Indiana earlier this
month. ALICE is generating excitement among researchers because this
energetic propellant has the potential to replace some liquid or
solid propellants. When it is optimized, it could have a higher
performance than conventional propellants.
"By funding this collaborative research with NASA, Purdue University
and the Pennsylvania State University, AFOSR continues to promote
basic research breakthroughs for the future of the Air Force," said
Dr. Brendan Godfrey, director of AFOSR.
ALICE has the consistency of toothpaste when made. It can be fit into
molds and then cooled to -30 C 24 hours before flight. The propellant
has a high burn rate and achieved a maximum thrust of 650 pounds
during this test.
"A sustained collaborative research effort on the fundamentals of the
combustion of nanoscale aluminum and water over the last few years
led to the success of this flight," said Dr. Steven F. Son, a
research team member from Purdue. "ALICE can be improved with the
addition of oxidizers and become a potential solid rocket propellant
on Earth. Theoretically, ALICE can be manufactured in distant places
like the moon or Mars, instead of being transported to distant
locations at high cost."
For more information about the Air Force Office of Scientific
Research, visit:
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/AFRL/
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
