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NASA Looking To Build 'Gas' Stations In Space

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the hope-they-have-pay-at-pump dept.

coondoggie writes "Fuel is a major issue when it comes to long-duration spaceflights — its weight is a problem for launch and once a spacecraft runs out of fuel there's no place to get more. That's where in-space 'gas' stations located at strategic spots along a route would be a boon to spaceflight. Which is exactly what NASA is looking to do by beginning to solicit proposals for what it calls an In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer Demonstration that will lay the groundwork for humans to safely reach multiple destinations, including the Moon, asteroids, Lagrange points and Mars."

2 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Mmmmmm... by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Can someone please explain to me the recent spate of articles about NASA from NetworkWorld?????????

    Oh, I get it "Michael Cooney" == "coondoggie".

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  2. NASA Gas Station by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    Two astronauts are flying through space from the earth to the moon. Looking at his fuel gauge, one decides to stop at the next fuel station and fill up. About 15 minutes later, he spots a station and docks over. "What can I do for ya'll?" asks the attendant. "Fill 'er up with your best Hydrazine," replies the astronaut.

    While the attendant is filling up the tank, he's looking the NASA rocket up and down. "What kinda spaceship is this?" he asks. "I never seen one like it before."

    "Well," responds the astronaut, his chest swelling up with pride, "This, my boy, is USS Domination 3000 X."
    "What all's it got in it?" asks the attendant.

    "Well," says the astronaut, "It has everything. It's loaded with vectoring thrusters, zero-g seats, leather interior, large portholes, power telescopes, all-band radio with 100 mega watts per channel, self-cleaning toilet, drogue chutes, super-digital instrument package, and best of all, a 1 million pound thrust Rocketdyne engine."

    "Wow," says the attendant, "That's really something!"

    "How much do I owe you for the gas?" asks the astronaut. "That'll be $3 million dollars" says the attendant. The astronaut pulls out his NASA checkbook to write a check. As he is doing so, a handful of golf tees fall out. "What are those little wooden things?" asks the attendant.

    "That's what I put my balls on when I drive," says the astronaut.
    "Wow," says the attendant, "Those NASA people think of everything!"