Fuel storage is an essential part of many businesses around Australia and the world. At Bulk Fuel Australia for example we make sure our self-bunded fuel storage tanks are top-rated and built to last for the tough Australian conditions. 

The team at NASA, however, need fuel tanks on another scale altogether. After all, an average space shuttle launch will need almost two billion litres of super-cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, which are mixed and burned together to form the bulk fuel for the orbiter's three main rocket engines. That’s a lot of pressure to contend with, not even counting the forces from the unending vacuum of space. 

So how do they make sure their fuel tanks can withstand the almost unimaginable pressures of space travel? 

Simple. They blew one up.

Recently NASA engineers working on the Space Launch System needed to test how much pressure the fuel storage compartment for the Orion spacecraft could handle during takeoff and flight. 

They fitted the testing launchpad with giant hydraulic pistons that applied over 500 tonnes of pressure to the fuel tank, and kept ramping it up until there was a structural failure.

As you can see in the video, the pressure eventually caused the fuel tank to split apart like a squashed tomato, resulting in a massive rupture. 

This is what’s known in the NASA world as a successful failure. The data gleamed from this massive rupture is being used by the engineering team to ensure that this kind of thing doesn’t happen on launch day and beyond, paving the way for a new generation of fuel storage tanks.

Research and development projects like this by NASA often lead to new technologies for those of us stuck on Earth. Other inventions made possible by NASA include the cochlear ear implant, memory foam mattresses and even landmine detection systems. No doubt the research conducted here will eventually lead to more durable and more capable fuel storage tanks in the future. 

The Space Launch System is currently being used to transport objects such as satellites into low orbit, but is an integral part of a larger plan to get humans back onto the moon by 2024.

In the meantime, the team at Bulk Fuel Australia continue to provide and service a wide range of reliable, cost-effective fuel tanks for delivery all across Australia. Talk to the team at Bulk Fuel Australia to find out more.