NASA Tests Rocket Powered By Paraffin Fuel

The paraffin wax used in familiar products like candles and crayons is also what fuels the Peregrine hybrid rocket motor, a revolutionary aerospace engineering project from NASA and Stanford University. Paraffin fuel burns three times faster than conventional fuels, and therefore can provide more thrust and higher performance than existing hybrid rockets. In addition to being non-toxic – which helps make its manufacture and transport cheaper and safer – the paraffin-based fuel works under challenging environmental conditions, such as the very low temperatures found on the surface of Mars. On March 15, 2017, Peregrine successfully passed its final ground test, seen in this video, at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

Video credit: NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Ames Research Center is located in the heart of California's Silicon Valley. Follow us on social media to hear about the latest developments in space, science and technology.

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[NikolasVStrom]

I come back to this video once a month for the motor pump noise.

[patrik]

I want one. Can't find it on Amazon though. Damn.

[steventriplett]

Y’all realize that paraffin=kerosene and paraffin wax is a synthetic wax derived from oil. The most common jet fuels are basically kerosene. This is a jet fuel powered rocket.

[VAXHeadroom]

I read about this design / chemistry about 2 years ago and wondered where it had gone. This looks GREAT!! WAY better than HTPB hybrids!

[rhflight]

Roar into space on a stack of strong and durable polyethylene wax toilet bowl rings ...

[acjohnson]

What makes me really curious is that I know soy candles can replace petroleum based paraffin, so extrapolating, could we grow oil producing plants on mars to make our rocket fuel there for the return trip? It would take some time for sure, but the fact that I could be grown, instead of brought with, would make return trips much more feasible.

[pyrusrex]

Was that done using the High Dynamic Range camera? I've never seen mach diamonds in an N2O hybrid that were that well defined and visible.

[jorgenskyt]

Paraffin wax used as primary fuel in a hybrid motor is effective and usable at ambient temperature conditions.
According to my personal research it has an unfortunate drawback as it is transparent to infrared radiation. It is extremely thermal unstable in its pure form and must be mixed with some kind of IR-radiation moderator, like aluminum power or common, powdered charcoal.
Without a moderator against IR-radiation the grain can collapse and clock up the nozzle, resulting in a RUD.

[seanbaskett]

That was the most stable burn I've EVER seen in a hybrid. Was it using n20 or LOX?

[animorphus]

I wonder how much certification it takes to launch one of these on a amateur rocket?🤔

[ToastyMozart]

Dang, Yankee Candle isn't messing around.

[Happy.Viewer]

❤🎉 and good luck. God bless the Technology

[templarjay]

doesnt look very uniform and predictable

[cabdulaahigaabow]

Turkey in the future will good space mastering intelligence of arrow5 in the space launch system and mastering more systems of medicines virology detections centers because virsues can come different of air molecules specific times of alterations

[vishikaassumi]

How about solar fuel to create high energy....!! can electric current use as fuel....???