Posted by tourdemars to Technology at January 25, 2006 12:56 PM

As a potent greenhouse gas, methane has been getting a bad rap — especially with the recent news that methane generated by plants may be a significant factor in global warming. But as a potential rocket fuel, methane's stock has been going up — because of its efficiency, portability, storability and relatively low toxicity, and also because it could conceivably be manufactured on Mars. In its vision for space exploration, NASA has touted a liquid oxygen/methane combination as the best system for future spacecraft engines. The space agency refers to the methane concept liberally in its Exploration Systems Architecture Study, and has said it should be taken into account for the Crew Exploration Vehicle that will one day take the place of the space shuttle fleet.