MISSE Experiments for Evaluation of Reliability of Cryogenic Tank Systems and Materials

For future space exploration beyond LEO that is affordable, NASA and other commercial space exploration companies will require innovative lightweight structural concepts that use the least amount of metallic structures and larger percentages of polymer composite materials. Recently, Infinite Composites Technologies (ICT) and its partner Oklahoma State University has developed all-composite tanks (Figure 1) for storing cryogenic fluids, which if successful, could reach temperatures down to -340ordm;F (-206.7ordm;C) for storage of liquid oxygen (LOX), liquid methane (LCH4), among other fluids. The proposed innovation is an advanced reinforced thermally insulated cryotank (ARTIC). However, there are some challenges for such composite materials to be used in space, especially for cryogenic fuel storage, since they can be degraded due to the synergistic applications of environmental conditions such as very low temperatures, UV and other forms of radiation.nbsp;For future space exploration beyond LEO that is affordable, NASA and other commercial space exploration companies will require innovative lightweight structural concepts that use the least amount of metallic structures and larger percentages of polymer composite materials. Recently, Infinite Composites Technologies (ICT) and its partner Oklahoma State University has developed all-composite tanks (Figure 1) for storing cryogenic fluids, which if successful, could reach temperatures down to -340ordm;F (-206.7ordm;C) for storage of liquid oxygen (LOX), liquid methane (LCH4), among other fluids. The proposed innovation is an advanced reinforced thermally insulated cryotank (ARTIC). However, there are some challenges for such composite materials to be used in space, especially for cryogenic fuel storage, since they can be degraded due to the synergistic applications of environmental conditions such as very low temperatures, UV and other forms of radiation.