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Refuel in the space
NASA has successfully introduced the first of three tools designed to refuel spacecraft in space just outside the International Space Station.
Space Mission 3, Robotic Refueling 3, has been able to detach a special adapter that can hold methane, oxygen or extremely cold hydrogen, and can not be used. insert into a special coupler placed on a different fuel tank.
Future iterations of the system may one day allow us to gas spacecraft with resources from distant worlds, such as liquid methane as a fuel. And that's a big problem, because future space explorations to distant destinations such as the Moon and Mars will depend on our ability to refuel after leaving the gravity of the Earth.
Keep cool
It is essential to keep the cryogenic fuel tanks at extremely low temperatures – if the tanks heat up, the fuel may escape and evaporate.
NASA discovered it the hard way in April. The refueling mission suffered a major setback when a material problem caused an unexpected warming of the cryogenic tanks and gas ventilation.
Today's news is simply a test of "all tool operations, which brings the idea of using water ice or methane from other worlds as fuel for spacecraft closer together" according to a statement.
READ MORE: Operations on robotic tools bring the reality of refueling closer to space [NASA]
More about the fuel in the space: See the steam probe that could explore the space
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