<p>"This collaboration (with US Air Force) has been an opportunity for graduate students to work on an environment-friendly propellant that can be used for flight on earth and used in long distance space missions," said NASA chief engineer Mike Ryschkewitsch.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Using the propellant named ALICE as fuel, a nine-foot rocket soared to a height of 1,300 feet over Purdue University's Scholer farms in Indiana earlier this month. <br /><br />ALICE is generating excitement among researchers because it has the potential to replace some liquid or solid propellants. <br /><br />When it is optimised, it could have a higher performance than conventional propellants.<br />The propellant has a high burn rate and achieved a maximum thrust of 300 kg during this test, said an AFOSR release.</p>
<p>"This collaboration (with US Air Force) has been an opportunity for graduate students to work on an environment-friendly propellant that can be used for flight on earth and used in long distance space missions," said NASA chief engineer Mike Ryschkewitsch.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Using the propellant named ALICE as fuel, a nine-foot rocket soared to a height of 1,300 feet over Purdue University's Scholer farms in Indiana earlier this month. <br /><br />ALICE is generating excitement among researchers because it has the potential to replace some liquid or solid propellants. <br /><br />When it is optimised, it could have a higher performance than conventional propellants.<br />The propellant has a high burn rate and achieved a maximum thrust of 300 kg during this test, said an AFOSR release.</p>