Since its inception in 1958, NASA has been harnessing the unique properties of hydrogen to conduct missions. NASA's hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are used for many purposes.
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Did You Know?
› NASA is the largest consumer of liquid hydrogen in the United States.
› NASA uses approximately 10 million pounds of liquid hydrogen per year at six locations in five states.
› In the past 45 years, NASA has purchased more than 350 million pounds of hydrogen and transported it safely across millions of miles by truck, rail and barge.
Overview
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells at NASA
Space Applications
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GRC Non-Flow-Through PEM Fuel Cell Wins R&D 100 Award →
The Non-Flow-Through Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell, a more efficient way to produce electricity for long duration missions, was awarded R&D Magazine's "Oscar of Invention" October 13, 2011.
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NASA Debuts New Fuel Cell at GRC for Rover use on Extraterrestrial Surfaces
NASA demonstrated a new fuel cell technology at Glenn Research Center's Simulated Lunar Operations (SLOPE) facility on Feb. 29 that will increase the distance rovers can travel on extraterrestrial surfaces.
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NASA Tests Deep Space J-2X Rocket Engine at Stennis Space Center →
NASA is testing the J-2X,the next-generation engine selected as part of the Space Launch System architecture that will once again carry humans into deep space. (Video from "SPACEREF" of NASA Test of Deep Space J-2X Rocket Engine) showing a 40-second test of the rocket engine at Stennis Space Center.
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Fuel Cell Mobile Lighting System Featured at Final Space Shuttle Launch →
NASA Kennedy Space Center's press site was host to lighting by fuel cell on the eve of the final launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis. The hydrogen fuel cell-powered mobile lighting system is a clean, quiet and efficient alternative to traditional technologies commonly powered by diesel fueled generators.
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Liquid Hydrogen--the Fuel of Choice for Space Exploration
Liquid hydrogen is the signature fuel of the American space program.
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Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) Satellite Cooled Using Solid Hydrogen
NASA’s WISE, which is now surveying the sky using the mid-infrared portion portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, was cooled using hydrogen to a very low temperature before its December 2009 launch. Sixteen months later, the first batch of data was made available to astronomers, including discoveries of comets and other near-Earth objects.
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Microwave Plasma Hydrogen Recovery System →
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has developed a method to efficiently recover hydrogen from natural gas. This innovation can be incorporated into flight hardware systems in support of long-duration exploration objectives.
Resources
Related NASA Links
Aeronautics/Ground Applications
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Hydrogen-Powered Surveillance Drone Completes Vibration Tests at Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) →
The hydrogen-powered Boeing Phantom Eye completed 12 days of ground vibration and structural mode interaction tests at DFRC in June 2011. View photos of flight tests. Check out visit of Star Trek star to DFRC and Phantom Eye.
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Hydrogen Storage Technology Project Coming to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) →
KSC will be one of the sites for British company Cella Energy Limited's development of low-cost hydrogen energy storage.
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NASA Awards Historic Green Aviation Prize
NASA awarded $1.35 million first prize in the 2011 CAFE Green Flight Challenge, where electric, biofueled and hybrid-powered aircraft vied to be the most fuel-efficient small aircraft in the world. The awards ceremony and exposition of the competing aircraft was held Oct. 3, 2011, at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
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JPL-Developed Clean Energy Technology Moves Forward →
A new fuel cell technology using liquid methanol has been developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), offering simplicity of design and higher energy density.
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Simplified Load-Following Control for a Fuel Cell System →
NASA has applied for a patent on an innovative method for controlling a parasitic device in a fuel-cell system developed at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
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NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Polymer Science and Technology Laboratory Helps Pinpoint Location of Hydrogen Leaks →
Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Polymer Science and Technology Laboratory advances hydrogen leak-detection technology with its work on hydrogen-sensing tape, which has been used to test for leaks during loading of the fuel cells onto shuttles.