There was an experience with Challenger during 1984: a small amount of hydrazine fuel was transfered during a spacewalk.
I'm not aware of any other similar experiment from the US.
The Soviets have transfered fuel from Progress to Salyut 7 and also Mir....But they discontinued it after a leak was found in a tube loaded with fuel. Also, after some time, those tubes would corrode.
LH2 and LOX transfer in space has never been a big desire from agencies.
Besides, there's another problem: if fuel is required for an empty tank, in space, it must come from somewhere...From Earth, thus....meaning launching fuel with an expensive new rocket.
Space missions should be designed and understood long before they're accomplished and this also means total fuel requirement from A to Z.
Space/Science » in reply to High performance, high maintenance
re:Refurbishing fuel in space
The whole thread (15 posts)
- Orbiting gas stations key to interplanetary exploration
- Real spacecraft are key to interplanetary exploration.
- re: Real spacecraft are key to interplanetary exploration.
- Real spacecraft are key to interplanetary exploration.
