Sweet taste of success for rocket scientist
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Your support makes all the difference.The bubbles in an Aero chocolate bar inspired a scientist with a sweet tooth to develop a low-cost rocket fuel. The idea behind the Space Quest Foundation's discovery came when full-time researcher Derek Willis, 37, bit through his favourite Nestle "bubble bar" snack.
Today should see the first launch of a rocket powered by the fuel in an experiment being staged at a farm at Skipton, Yorkshire. "Fuels for rockets are particularly expensive, so we needed a cheap fuel based on oxygen and a kind of slurry," Mr Willis said. "I had this idea of forcing oxygen down through the slurry and then setting it hard.
"I was just chewing on this bar of chocolate and the idea hit me. It's very simple in principle." Billions of bubbles are blasted into the oil- based slurry at 3,000lbs per square inch. The hardened formula, which the scientists have patented, can then be put into the rocket's chamber.
Aerated Solid Propellant, or Asprop, costs a tenth of the fuel used to blast the space shuttle into space. It could save United States space agency NASA about up to 60 million dollars - about pounds 37.5 million - per mission. Space Quest's six researchers, five of whom work part time, have a little workshop in Byker, Newcastle, and got together to get youngsters interested in science and technology. The foundation produces videos and booklets to help schoolchildren learn about technology. Youngsters also become involved in making rockets.
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