14 DAY TRIAL // For many decades, the basic principles of producing rocket fuel have remained the same. Boosters are still fueled by mixtures of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, chemicals that burn hot and fast enough to provide the massive thrust force several tens of tons of metal require to be lifted off the ground. This year, for the first time in 50 years, a new rocket propellant was tested, one that combines the power of ice with aluminum, a metal, and produces thrust and hydrogen. Scientists hope to be able to use the resulting hydrogen for other purposes than as fuel, Space reports.
The idea of propelling a space rocket using nothing more than water and aluminum has captured the attention of the American space agency NASA and of the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, which both funded the early development stages of the new propellant and motor. The science team that worked on the innovation was based at the Purdue and Penn State Universities. “In the bigger picture, we're looking at technology that can store hydrogen long term. Water is a nice, stable way to store hydrogen,” PU Professor of Mechanical Engineering Steven Son explains.
The team envisions using the hydrogen that is formed following the propelling reaction to contribute to the strength of fuel cells, which may be the only feasible means of powering up a spacecraft's systems during a long-duration spaceflight. The new ALICE system was already successfully tested in an August launch, which saw a rocket propelled by it being launched to about 1,300 feet. Though its faith is uncertain at this time, with all the scrutiny the space agency is subjected to, ALICE and similar fuels may become highly practical in the future.
One reason for this is the discovery of water on Mars and the Moon, and the possibility that it also exists on several moons belonging to Jupiter and Saturn. Under these conditions, being able to produce fuel from readily available resources could mean the difference between the success and failure of a mission to these celestial bodies. “There have certainly been previous research efforts with nano-aluminum and water. This effort is the first time that anyone has actually launched a rocket,” Son says.
“We're at or slightly below conventional solid propellants in terms of overall performance,” he adds. “We are thinking about another launch with a different composition of aluminum-ice propellant. We know we can adjust the ratio between the two components as well as add components to improve performance,” PU School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Professor Timothee Pourpoint shares.