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NASA has successfully launched a small rocket that uses clean, green and safe propellant called ALICE. The propellant has been made using aluminium powder and water ice.
Mike Ryschkewitsch, NASA Chief Engineer at NASA Headquarters in Washington said, “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.”
He added, “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.”
A nine-foot rocket, which uses ALICE as fuel, reached a height of 1,300 feet over Purdue University’s Scholer farms in Indiana earlier this month.
The researchers are very enthusiastic with the new propellant as it has the potential to replace some solid and liquid propellants.
The researchers believe that after being optimized, the propellant will have a higher performance than conventional propellants.
Dr. Brendan Godfrey, director of AFOSR said, “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.”
ALICE has the consistency of toothpaste when prepared. It can be fit into molds and then cooled to -30°Celsius, 24 hours before flight.
The propellant has a high rate of burning and has gained a maximum thrust of 650 pounds during the test.
Dr. Steven F. Son, a research team member from Purdue said, “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.”
“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.”
