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Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies

Could Asteroids Provide Fuel for Space Travel?

This is the question a new project at the Missouri University of Science and Technology will aim to answer.

Through the testing of easily-evaporated compounds contained in meteorites, researchers will strive to develop a space-based fueling plan, utilizing near-Earth objects such as comets and asteroids, for future space travel.

The project, titled “Laboratory Demonstration and Test of Solar Thermal Asteroid ISRU,” is a collaboration between the Missouri University of Science and Technology, NASA Kennedy Space Center, NASA Glenn Research Center, Colorado School of Mines, the University of Hawaii and Integrated Concurrent Systems Associates Inc.

This research is funded by the NASA Space Technology Research Grants Program, the goal of which is to accelerate the development of low TRL (Technology Readiness Level) space technologies to support future space science and exploration needs of NASA, other government agencies, and the commercial space sector.

Read more about the project and methodology here!