Power plants – Reaction motor – Method of operation
Patent
1984-12-18
1988-07-05
Casaregola, Louis J.
Power plants
Reaction motor
Method of operation
60257, 60266, F02K 942
Patent
active
047546018
ABSTRACT:
A propulsion system for reusable space-based vehicles is presented wherein the propulsive working fluid is atmospheric gas. Acceleration or deceleration propulsion is obtained by expelling or ingesting atmospheric gas respectively. Consequently, propulsive working fluid expelled during accelerating forward propulsive maneuvers is automatically replenished during decelerating retro propulsive maneuvers. The refueling retro thrust is generated by a large diameter hypervelocity has inlet diffuser mounted at the front of the vehicle which scoops up atmospheric gas while traversing through the tenuous upper regions of a planet's atmosphere. The vehicle thereby transfers a portion of its momentum to the collected gas which was initially at rest in the atmosphere. This transfer of momentum generates a decelerating retro thrust by a reverse application of the theory of classical rocket propulsion. The collected gas is condensed, stored on-board the vehicle, and utilized as propulsive working fluid for generating forward propulsive accelerating thrust by expelling the gas at high velocity. The vehicle could operate either as a self-refueling interorbital transfer vehicle or as an interplanetary transfer vehicle moving from planet to planet utilizing each planetary atmosphere as propulsive working fluid.
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patent: 3561217 (1971-02-01), Hall
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Gilmore, K. "Spaceplane", in Science and Mechanics, Nov. 1962, pp. 42-44 & 142.
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