Patent
Reusable rocket-propelled high altitude airplane and method and apparatus for mid-air oxidizer transfer to said airplane
Mitchell Clapp,Robert Zubrin +1 more
TLDR
In this paper, the authors proposed a reusable rocket airplane which may be used to launch satellites and other payloads into space and then return safely to be used again for surface-to-surface flight.Abstract:
A reusable rocket airplane which may be utilized to launch satellites and other payloads into space. The airplane may also be used for rapid surface to surface flight. The reusable rocket airplane may be safely supplied with oxidizer in mid-air, achieve an altitude outside the Earth's atmosphere, and return safely to be used again. The rocket airplane utilizes unique concepts to secure its gas turbine engines for high speed flight, minimize fluid spillage during mid-air oxidizer transfer, as well as employs design features advantageous to the economical building and reuse of the rocket airplane.read more
Citations
More filters
Patent
Ducted Fan Vtol Vehicles
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe a vehicle including a fuselage having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, two Ducted Fan lift-producing propellers carried by the fuselage on each side of the transversal axis, and two pusher fans located at the rear of the vehicle.
Patent
Flight control system especially suited for VTOL vehicles
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe a flight control system that includes four groups of controls, each group comprising inputs relating to six degrees of freedom of the vehicle, at least one control computer and a plurality of actuators; each group utilizing 25% of required flight control power for the vehicle.
Patent
Vehicles particularly useful as vtol vehicles
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe a vehicle including a fuselage, at least one lift-producing propeller carried by the fuselage on each side of its transverse axis, a pilot's compartment formed between the lift producing propellers and substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis.
Patent
Ducted fan vehicles particularly useful as vtol aircraft
TL;DR: In this article, a vehicle, including a vehicle frame, a vehicle duct carried by the vehicle frame with the longitudinal axis of the duct perpendicular to the vehicle's longitudinal axis, a propeller rotatably mounted within the duct to force an ambient fluid there through from its inlet at the upper end of a duct through its exit at the lower end of an inlet.
Patent
Wall effects on vtol vehicles
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe a ducted air flow vehicle that includes a fuselage having a longitudinal axis, supporting at least one air flow duct and a prime mover arranged to force surrounding air into the duct through an inlet at the upper end of the duct with normally symmetrical airflow streams, thereby creating a lift force directed substantially along a duct axis; a plurality of vanes extending across the inlet, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.
References
More filters
Patent
Horizontal-takeoff transatmospheric launch system
TL;DR: In this paper, a two-stage horizontal takeoff and landing system is proposed to provide a transatmospheric launch system that is essentially totally reusable, provides wide flexibility in choice of orbit, and may be launched quickly on short notice.
Patent
Rocket-powered, air-deployed, lift-assisted booster vehicle for orbital, supraorbital and suborbital flight
TL;DR: In this paper, a lift-assisted booster vehicle (ALBV) is proposed for efficiently carrying small payloads to orbital, supraorbital or suborbital altitudes and velocities.
Patent
Orbiter/launch system
TL;DR: In this article, a coupled orbiter-booster combination takes off horizontally and ascends to staging altitude and speed under booster power with both orbiter and booster wings providing lift, after staging, the booster vehicles fly back to earth for horizontal landing and the orbiter vehicle continues ascending to orbit.
Patent
High altitude launch platform payload launching apparatus and method
TL;DR: In this article, a high altitude launch platform, used to launch a payload into earth orbit, is part of a payload launch system having a payload launching rocket with an engine carried by the high-altitude launch platform.
Patent
Reusable flyback satellite
Richard T. Cervisi,David M. Toliver,Harry Stan Greenberg,Timothy R. Kilgore,Jack H. Arnold,John C Blake +5 more
TL;DR: A reusable flyback satellite system comprises a refly apparatus and an accelerating and positioning apparatus as discussed by the authors, which provides acceleration and injection into orbit, on-orbit functions services for supporting a payload, de-orbiting, reentering and landing on a runway.