04/15/2026
-FuelCellENERGYTechnology-1960s-Spaceships -1997-FuelCellTechnology-then-takes-the-helm-US-Secretary-of-Energy -the-time-Nanotechnology-favorable-for-advanced-and-cheap-CATALYSTS
NASA first invested in FUEL CELL ENERGY Technology in the 1960s and USED IT IN ITS SPACESHIPS. Now, The OIL Petroleum ARE Stuck in IRAN’s Strait of Hormuz.
Two technologies in the hotbed are:
Alkaline fuel cells: Alkaline fuel cells (AFCs) were one of the first fuel cell technologies developed, and they were the first type widely used in the U.S. space program to produce electrical energy and water on-board spacecraft. These fuel cells use a solution of potassium hydroxide in water as the electrolyte and can use a variety of non-precious metals as a catalyst at the anode and cathode.
Phosphoric acid fuel cells: Phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs) use liquid phosphoric acid as an electrolyte- the acid is contained in a Teflon-bonded silicon carbide matrix- and porous carbon electrodes containing a platinum catalyst. The electro-chemical reactions that take place in the cell are shown in the diagram to the right. The PAFC is considered the "first generation" of modern fuel cells. It is one of the most mature cell types and the first to be used commercially. This type of fuel cell is typically used for stationary power generation, but some PAFCs have been used to power large vehicles such as city buses.
NASA’s Moon Shot Launched Commercial Fuel Cell Industry: Agency’s technology development prepared fuel cells for tomorrow’s renewable energy grids
(Originally published 01/29/2024)
When NASA started investing in fuel cell technology in the 1960s, the rest of the world was still content to be powered by fossil fuels. The simple imperative that drove NASA to explore new ways to generate and store energy was the crushing cost of launching mass into space: somewhere on the order of $10,000 per pound.
“NASA’s interest in fuel cells had nothing to do with alternative energy – we didn’t have any alternative,” said John Scott, NASA’s principal technologist for power and energy storage. “We had to make them work in order to fly the mission.”
NASA’s earliest crewed spacecraft relied on batteries for onboard power. Energy requirements for the long round trip to the Moon, however, would have necessitated more batteries than could feasibly be launched.
NASA awarded funding to General Electric, Allis-Chalmers Energy, and an arm of Pratt & Whitney to develop fuel cell prototypes, and General Electric was contracted to deliver fuel cells for the Gemini spacecraft, flown in preparation for the Apollo Moon shot.
-------*****-------
Fuel Cell Technology has been a PAST & HOT Research topic at The US Department of Energy or even a Nobel Award in 1997 whose recipient shortly afterward became the U.S. Secretary of Energy, and now even very favorable as advances in catalysts (less platinum needed): “Fuel Cell Technology has now reached unprecedented performance: Recent Advances Reinforce the Case for Hydrogen Mobility” (Hy-Ardian 24 Partners Corp – www.hy24partners.com)
