This week, NASA and Johns Hopkins University tested a new propulsion system for a prototype robotic lander they are jointly developing. While the robot didn’t leave the ground, the “hot-fire” tests successfully verified the performance of its thrusters.
The propulsion system was developed by Dynetics Corp, an engineering company in Huntsville, Alabama. According the NASA press release:
The prototype’s new propulsion system consists of 12 small attitude control thrusters, three primary descent thrusters to control the vehicle’s altitude, and one large “gravity-canceling” thruster which offsets a portion of the prototype’s weight to simulate a lower gravity environment, like that of the moon and asteroids. The prototype uses a green propellant, hydrogen peroxide, in a stronger concentration of a solution commonly used in homes as a disinfectant. The by-products after use are water and oxygen.
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