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Aluminum Fuel Could Power Future Space Trips

Posted November 05, 2009 8:38 AM

From Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel:

Aluminum and water is usually a boring combination, but light a mixture of nanoaluminum and ice and the results are explosive. Scientists from Purdue University have created a new, environmentally friendly solid rocket fuel that recently sent a rocket screaming 1300 feet into the air using seven inches of nanoaluminum and ice. The new fuel could power missions to the moon or Mars while dramatically reducing the amount of on-board fuel.

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JohnDG
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#1

Re: Aluminum Fuel Could Power Future Space Trips

11/05/2009 6:48 PM

" ... using seven inches of nanoaluminum and ice ..."

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#2
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Re: Aluminum Fuel Could Power Future Space Trips

11/05/2009 6:57 PM

Aluminium particles around 80nm in size.
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JohnDG
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#3
In reply to #2

Re: Aluminum Fuel Could Power Future Space Trips

11/05/2009 7:01 PM

So how many in an inch?

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jack of all trades
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#5
In reply to #3

Re: Aluminum Fuel Could Power Future Space Trips

11/05/2009 10:15 PM

No idea as the spacing between them is such an unknown when dealing with objects this small (you cannot use the same volume formula as you would for a bucket full of ball bearings or even sand).
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Mikerho
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#4
In reply to #1

Re: Aluminum Fuel Could Power Future Space Trips

11/05/2009 9:07 PM

Hi JohnDG,

During a recent field test, the Purdue team launched a nine-foot tall rocket more than 1300 feet into the air using a hollow rod of ALICE [ALuminum-ICE] seven inches long and three inches across. In less than a second the rocket had accelerated to approximately 200 miles per hour.

No indication of the inside diameter though. Your point is well taken - article writers are not very quantitative in their reporting.

Mike

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#6

Re: Aluminum Fuel Could Power Future Space Trips

11/06/2009 12:50 AM

I'm too lazy at the moment to do the calculation, but I suspect that if you accelerated an object to 200 mph, and then just let it coast, it would reach 1300 feet high. But then I realize that even many science and energy commentators don't seem to know the difference between a kilowatt and a kilowatt-hour. Reminds me of yellow journalism.
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#7

Re: Aluminum Fuel Could Power Future Space Trips

11/07/2009 11:29 AM

Since it's a solid fuel, one wonders how they will get back from the moon or mars.

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