Feb. 18, 2009 -- The U.S. aerospace industry is officially onboard the biofuel bandwagon, with the test fire of a small rocket engine that burns commercially available biodiesel. California-based Flometrics did the honors and discovered the Rocketdyne LR-101 engine produced nearly the same amount of thrust burning biodiesel as it did chugging through a kerosene-based conventional rocket fuel. "We found it was very comparable," said company chief executive Steve Harrington. Flometrics is now assembling components for an actual launch, targeted for later this month. Harrington is hoping the demonstration will spark interest in renewable fuels from NASA and the Air Force. Related Content:
"You have to start somewhere," Harrington told Discovery News. "If you can get something started using renewable energy sources, you'll have some options instead of just one day running out of oil." For the test, which took place last month in the Mojave Desert, Flometrics engineers first filled the rocket with traditional RP-1 rocket fuel and liquid oxygen, then fired the engine for about six seconds until pressure readings stabilized. They repeated the test with biodiesel in the fuel tank and found just a four percent drop in engine performance. Harrington would like to run additional tests with different blends of fuel and oxidizer to see if engine performance can be improved. "More testing at various mixture ratios would show if the (engine performance) difference is less at other ratios," the company wrote in a blog about the test firing. Get More NewsSpiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates.Oldest Hebrew Writing Possibly FoundAncient inscriptions on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard could make history.Rare, Prehistoric-Age Reptile Found in N.Z.A tuatara has been spotted on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in 200 years.Iceman Has No Living RelativesOetzi, the 5,300 year-old frozen mummy, left no living genetic legacy.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.It's Official: People Are Warming the PolesHumans are conclusively to blame for polar warming, say scientists.Eight-Armed Animal Preceded DinosaursWhat may be one of Earth's first animals was no bigger than a coaster and had eight arms.Phoenicians Live on in People's GenesOne in 17 Mediterranean men may be descended from ancient Phoenicians.Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to Frog DeclineA pesticide is found to promote parasites among amphibians.Hubble Telescope Taking Photos AgainThe Hubble Space Telescope is once again snapping stunning photos of the universe.Andean Mummy Hairs Show Hallucinogen UseScientists find direct evidence of hallucinogenic drug use among ancient Andeans.Opals on Mars Reveal Planet's Long Wet PastOpals found on Mars suggest the planet has been wet for much longer. |
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