NASA has selected a team led by Ball Aerospace & Technologies
Corporation of Boulder, Colo., for a technology demonstration of
a high performance "green" propellant alternative to the highly
toxic fuel hydrazine. With this award, NASA opens a new era of
innovative and non-toxic green fuels that are less harmful to
our environment, have fewer operational hazards, and decrease
the complexity and cost of launch processing. Today's use of
hydrazine fuel for rockets, satellites and spacecraft is
pervasive. Hydrazine is an efficient propellant and can be
stored for long periods of time, but it also is highly corrosive
and toxic. NASA is seeking new, non-toxic high performance green
propellants that could be safely and widely used by rocketeers,
ranging from government to industry and academia. Green
propellants include liquid, solid, mono- propellant, which use
one fuel source, or bi-propellants, which use two, and hybrids
that offer safer handling conditions and lower environmental
impact than current fuels. "High