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NASA tests game changing composite cryogenic fuel tank

03 Jul '13

4 min read

Composite tank joints, especially bolted joints, have been a particularly troubling area prone to leaks in the past. Boeing and its partner, Janicki Industries of Sedro-Woolley, Wash., developed novel tooling to eliminate the need for heavy joints.

"Boeing has experience building large composite structures, and Marshall has the facilities and experience to test large tanks," explained John Fikes, the cryogenic tank deputy project manager at Marshall. "It has been a team effort, with Boeing working with NASA to monitor the tests and gather data to move forward and build even larger, higher performing tanks."

"Game changing is about developing transformative technologies that enable new missions and new capabilities," said Stephen Gaddis, the program manager for the Game Changing Development Program at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. "Technological advances like the cryogenic tank can ripple throughout the aerospace industry and change the way we do business."

NASA