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Commercialization

One More Thing America Cannot Do?

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
December 3, 2008

Initial Evaluation of ADN as Oxidizer in Solid Propellants for Large Space Launcher Boosters

“NASA/GRC has a requirement to produce a more environmentally friendly oxidizer for solid rocket boosters. The oxidizer is called ammonium dinitramide (A.D.N.).

NASA/GRC intends to purchase the items from The Swedish Defence Research Agency (called FOI for Forskningsinstitut) to produce a more environmentally friendly oxidizer for solid rocket boosters. The oxidizer is called ammonium dinitramide (A.D.N.). The U.S.A. had terminated their research in this area in the late 1990’s due to the budget reductions from the work funded by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). The oxidizer, A.D.N., was found to have some sensitivity to temperatures that made its density low with poor packing of the oxidizer particles. The research proposed by the F.O.I. has begun to overcome these issues with temperature sensitivity and oxidizer density. Currently, the F.O.I. is the only organization that has the capability of performing this research. Their organization has significantly invested in this oxidizer development and garnered world-renowned propellant experts from several nations to complete their current internal research goals and developments.”

Editor’s note: Really? No one in America can do this research?

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.