← Back to NASA Technology Projects
Propellant and Terrestrial Fuel Production from Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, Year 1
Completed
TRL 4 (started at 3, targeting 4)
Description
Low-cost science mission demonstration of in-situ propellants. Build and test in a relevant environment a Mars propellant production plant of an appropriate scale for an initial demonstration on Mars. It will produce sufficient propellants for a small science hopper vehicle to hop 2 km every 30 days. Specific objectives include: • Validate the performance of specific components included in the design from ref. 2 • Acquire data for a range of operating conditions for the CO2 acquisition devices to enable design improvements • Develop realistic estimates of the mass and volume of the 'other' components (valves, plumbing, wiring, etc.)
Benefits
Will provide a stepping-stone approach to build confidence in using in-situ propellants in a sample return.
Details
| Program | Center Innovation Fund: GRC CIF (GRC CIF) |
| Lead organization | Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH |
| Start date | 2012-03-01 |
| End date | 2012-09-30 |
Project contacts
Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.
How to get involved
This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.
None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.