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.
 | | The ALICE flight-vehicle accelerated to a speed of 205 mph and reached an altitude of nearly 1300 feet. (Credit: Dr. Steven F. Son, Purdue University)
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"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."
Posted August 23rd, 2009
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