NASA Invests In Methane-Power With New Rocket

On January 16, 2007, at a facility on the Mojave Desert, NASA tested an engine with methane as its fuel.

With methane abundantly available in the solar system, it is considered a better fuel to use than conventional fuels such as liquid oxygen (LOX)/liquid hydrogen (LH2) and solid chemicals—what is used on the engines of the Space Shuttle.

Methane is a chemical compound with the molecular formula CH4. Although this test of the methane-powered engine is in the very early stages of development, such an engine could be key for successful exploration of the outer solar system.

NASA contractor Alliant Techsystems manufactured the main engine in the test. The engine had a thrust of 7,500 pounds. Alliant (ATK), spun off from Honeywell in 1990, is a major U.S. defense and aerospace contractor. With headquarters in Edina, Minnesota, ATK Launch Systems Group (formerly known as ATK-Thiokol) will build the Ares I launch vehicle for the new NASA Project Constellation, which replaces the Space Shuttle fleet.

XCOR Aerospace, which partnered with ATK on the methane test rocket, is a private rocket engine and spaceflight development company. It is headquartered in Mojave, California, within the Mojave Desert. Another of its activities is development of the reusable suborbital spaceplane Xerus for use with tourists and researchers.

NASA scientists and engineers are working on a LOX/methane engine for future missions in the solar system. Burning methane in the presence of oxygen (O2) produces carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O): CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O.

Methane, instead of LH2, is very advantageous because it is lighter to store (due to it being able to be stored at lower temperatures and in smaller containers, being denser than hydrogen), thus, cheaper to use. Plus, methane is much safer to use.

One of the main difficulties with using methane with oxygen is that methane needs an ignition source (some current fuels spontaneously combust with liquid oxygen, such as the fuel used in the solid rocket boosters of the Space Shuttle, which is called Ammonium Percholoate Composite Propellant, or APCP). Thus, NASA is working on a reliable ignition source that can be used in the extreme temperatures of outer space. [last two paragraphs modified 5-7-2007 per comment #1]
However, methane’s biggest plus may be that it can be made on other planets and celestial bodies. For example, on Saturn’s moon Titan, methane lakes and rivers contain abundant amounts of liquid methane. A methane-powered spacecraft, manned or unmanned, could land on Titan, explore the moon, and than gather enough methane to return to the Earth. Rather than send fuel for one round trip, only one-half the fuel would be needed for the outgoing part of the trip. The other half of the fuel could be obtained on the moon, itself.

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all contain methane, which opens up the possibilities of grand exploration missions to these planets with methane-powered engines.
Go to NASA’s “Methane Blast” website to view the video on the methane-powered rocket test.

Methane-To-Energy Project in New York

12/28/2007 - MAYVILLE —
The price tag for the 6.4 mega watt methane-to-energy generating facility to be built at the county landfill has been reduced by nearly $500,000.

On Thursday, U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that as part of the energy bill signed into law on Wednesday by President George w. Bush that Western New York received millions in funding for economic growth projects, including $492,000 for the county’s methane system.

‘‘These projects are crucial to fueling economic growth across Western New York and for giving local residents top-notch services in education, law enforcement and health care,’’ Schumer said. ‘‘By investing in these vital projects, we ensure that Western New York continues to lure new businesses and tourists to the region, while ensuring families have the first-class services they need.’’

Also included in the bill, the Niagara Falls International Airport will receive $2.4 million in federal funds to build a new terminal apron and for road improvements.

The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station received...