NASA SBIR 00-1 SOLICITATION

FORM 9B - PROJECT SUMMARY

PROPOSAL NUMBER 00-1 08.01-8973 (Chron: 001028 )
PROJECT TITLE
Methane to Aromatics on Mars

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The Methane to Aromatics on Mars (METAMARS) project will design and build a machine for converting methane produced by the Sabatier reaction into a low hydrogen content, low vapor pressure, high density, aromatic fuel. Its primary advantage is a factor of four reduction of hydrogen feedstock importation requirements for production of rocket fuel compared to the standard S/E process for an equivalent mass of fuel. In addition, since all oxygen produced by the Sabatier system comes from the carbon dioxide feed, by reducing the hydrogen in the fuel the METAMARS process will simultaneously improve the stoichiometry of the fuel/oxidizer combination and will reduce the power required by the process. The benzene fuel is also considerably denser than methane fuel. A final advantage of the METAMARS process is that it operates at low pressure, in contrast to synthesis reactions for other higher hydrocarbons. These advantages make the METAMARS process a prime technology to improve the applicability of the Sabatier process for small scale unmanned Mars missions, such as the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, as well as a key technology for manned Mars missions.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
There is already considerable terrestrial interest in the conversion of methane into transportable fuels and chemical feedstocks, with the majority of the work focusing on methanol or Fischer-Tropsch hydrocarbon production. Remote gas fields currently flare or reinject more than a billion dollars worth of natural gas every day, and economical means for liquefying this gas have tremendous commercial potential. Pioneer's work will draw heavily on research into catalytic processes for methane dehydrogenation, but the METAMARS process itself is, to Pioneer's best knowledge, new and unique. Potential products include benzene and toluene, with total current markets of more than 10 million tonnes per year.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Tony Muscatello
Pioneer Astronautics
11111 W. 8th Ave., Unit A
Lakewood , CO 80215 - 5516

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Pioneer Astronautics
11111 W. 8th Ave., Unit A
Lakewood , CO 80215 - 5516