摘要：

A collaborative effort by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and academia resulted in the successful launch of a small rocket using a safe, environmentally-friendly propellant. The substance, comprising aluminum powder and ice, and known as ALICE, is suitable both for short flights in the earth's atmosphere and for long-distance space missions, an advantageous utility in achieving NASA's exploration goals.rnLeveraging AFRL funding, aerospace engineers from NASA and graduate researchers from Purdue University and Pennsylvania State University conducted the investigations of nanoscale aluminum and water formulas that ultimately precipitated development of the new propellant-a substance with the consistency of toothpaste. Once manufactured, the paste-like material fits easily into molds, where it cools to a temperature of -30℃ a day before flight.

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