NASA, Air Force Test Environmentally-friendly Rocket Propellant

NASA, Air Force Test Environmentally-friendly Rocket Propellant

www.sciencedaily.com

ScienceDaily (Aug. 24, 2009) — 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 g

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Related News Links:
www.nasa.gov
www.wpafb.af.mil

I guess this is a good direction to go in terms of rockets, surely though the logical step would be to search for an alternative to rockets all round (that is if there isn't one already).

From what I have read its pretty efficient and when fully optimized could have better performance than conventional propellants.

Interesting stuff!



www.sciencedaily.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

still hazardous though. if you breathe in the alluminium powder. that hasnt burnt. It has also been linked to alzheimers.

this thing would be much more hazardous if it crashed mid air/just after launch, as it would throw a ton or so of aliminium dust into the wind(apollo sized rocket)... nasty. wouldnt want to be witnessing that.

[edit on 24-8-2009 by MR BOB]

[edit on 24-8-2009 by MR BOB]

reply to post by refuse_orders



From Source:

a small rocket using an environmentally-friendly, safe propellant comprised of aluminum powder and water ice, called ALICE.

What a dichotomy...


Now look how easily it will be to bomb another country:

Mr. Senator, not only have we prevented another belligerent nation from building WMD's, we were Eco-friendly about it - what's the problem..?!