Aeronautics and astronautics – Spacecraft – Attitude control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-08
2002-09-24
Poon, Peter M. (Department: 3643)
Aeronautics and astronautics
Spacecraft
Attitude control
C244S164000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06454216
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the field of rocket-space engineering and may find use during the creation of all-azimuth rocket systems for the ascent of space objects to reference orbits in a wide range of inclinations without cession of land for the field into which spent boosters fall.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
At present different projects of reusable boosters of the first stages of launch vehicles are known which are equipped with lifting aerodynamic surfaces and landing gear in order to carry out after the end of operation of the midflight engines, separation of the booster from the launch vehicle and entrance into the atmosphere of flight in the atmosphere and landing on an airdrome. This makes it possible to solve the problem of ecological safety during the launching of the launch vehicle and to reduce the cost of delivering a useful load into orbit.
Known, in particular, is a reusable booster of the first stage of a launch vehicle for the variant of modernization of the reusable transport cosmic system “Space Shuttle.” The booster comprises a body including tanks for the oxidizer and fuel, a nose compartment with a dome, between-tank section and afterbody, a rocket engine installation positioned in the afterbody, a wing mounted on the body according to a low-phase scheme behind the between-tank section, a forward horizontal fin assembly on the nose compartment above the wing, a vertical fin, an air-feed jet engine installation comprising six turbojet engines positioned on the lower surface of the wing and four turbojet engines on the lower surface of the body, and a triple-point support landing gear consisting of two main supports positioned in the area of the root chords of the wing consoles, and a front support positioned in the nose compartment (see M. G. Benton, Reusable, Flyback Liquid Rocket Booster for the Space Shuttle, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, VII-VIII 1989, vol. 26, N4, p. 252, FIG. 1). The construction of the booster provides for its return and horizontal landing in the area of the launch complex. However drawbacks of this construction of a reusable booster are the large size (spread) of the wing consoles, and the use of this technical solution would result in substantial changes in the construction of the launch complex. Substantial dimensions of the wing consoles also result in an increase of the wind loads on the whole construction of the launch vehicle during the active portion of the ascent, which increases the weight of not only the reusable booster itself, but also the following stages of the launch vehicle and, as a consequence thereof, to additional losses of the weight of the useful load. Furthermore, the positioning of the lifting surfaces in accordance with the “cleat” scheme causes problems in ensuring balance, stability and controllability during all potions of the flight. An additional drawback of this construction is the positioning of the turbojet engines on the wing consoles and the lower surface of the body, which requires thermal protection of the engines themselves, which also increases the weight of the booster.
A reusable booster of the first stage of a launch vehicle is also known which comprises a rocket assembly and an airframe, which are made in the form of separate monoblock units, combined by power link units. The rocket assembly is provided with midflight engines and jet control system engines. The nose part of the rocket assembly is closed with a dome. The airframe has a fuselage, two folding wing consoles, a folding rear fin, a pullout aerodynamic flap and landing gear. The wing consoles are provided with turning axles positioned in a diametral plane passing in the area of the center of the weight of the booster construction. In the folded position, the wing consoles are arranged forward along the fuselage and disposed with edges in slots thereof, forming a triangular wing of small length with the possibility of forming a wing of large length in the open position. The tail fin assembly in the open position has a V-shaped form and may be equipped with two air-feed jet engines for a return flight of the booster to the airdrome near the launching point of the launch vehicle. The landing gear consists of a main support, a front support and auxiliary under-wing supports (see Russian Federation patent No. 2053936, class B 64 G 1/100, 1/14, Feb. 10, 1996). Mounting the air-feed jet engines on the consoles of the tail fin assembly makes the construction of the tail fin assembly more complex and requires thermal protection of the engines themselves, which results in an increase of the weight of the booster. The presence of a balanced flap and turning consoles of the wing make the balancing of the booster significantly more complex throughout the whole range of flight speeds. The small distance from the aerodynamic focus of the fin assembly to the center of the mass of the booster results in a drastic increase of the area of the fin assembly and, accordingly, its weight. Embodiment of the rocket assembly and the airframe in the form of separate monoblocks increase the weight of the booster as a whole. Furthermore, unfolding the consoles in the atmosphere significantly changes the aerodynamics of the booster and results in the necessity of solving problems of ensuring stabilization and control.
The booster most similar to the claimed invention in respect to the combination of material features is the reusable booster of the first stage of a launch vehicle, comprising a body including tanks for an oxidizer and fuel, a nose compartment with an elongated dome, between-tank section and afterbody, a rocket engine installation, a straight all-moving wing mounted on a flat lower surface of the body with a unit for turning it and fixing in a position along the axis of the booster during the ascension step and in a position turned by 90° during the return flight, vertical and horizontal fin assemblies, each of which consists of two pullout plates positioned respectively on the consoles of the wing and in the nose compartment, a triple-point support landing gear consisting of two main supports mounted on the booster body in the region of the between-tank section, and a front support positioned in the nose compartment, and aerodynamic control organs (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,324 class 244/160, B 64 G 1/14, May 30, 1989). The all-moving wing provides optimization of the appearance of the launch vehicle during the ascent and the possibility of arranging the reusable booster in existing installations during servicing between flights. However, the known booster has a number of drawbacks:
Return to this booster after separation from the second state of the launch vehicle is only possible in a gliding flight, since an air-feed jet engine installation is not provided in the makeup of the booster. Therefore, separation of the first and second stages of the launch vehicle is carried out at a low height and low speed, which results in an increase in the weight of the second stage and, accordingly, reduction of the weight of the useful load;
The forward positioning of the horizontal fin assembly does not provide acceptance balancing of the reusable booster to be returned for its flight in the range of the angle of incidence of 40-50° after separation from the launch vehicle and 3-10° during the return flight and landing;
Positioning a vertical fin assembly on the wing consoles does not provide a sufficient degree of stability of the booster because of its small length during the return flight in the whole range of speeds and angles of incidence, which results in the necessity of increasing its area. Furthermore, the construction of the wing becomes more complex and additional drives appear to open the vertical fin assembly;
The construction of the unit for turning the wing by 90° and moving it along the body during the return flight of the booster is very complex and increases the weight of the booster;
Retraction of the main supports of the chassis into the body of the booster requires an unconventionally large power section bet
Kiselev Anatoly Ivanovich
Kuznetsov Jury Leonidovich
Medvedev Alexandr Alexeevich
Naboischikov Gennady Fedorovich
Pankevich Alexandr Alexandrovich
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Collins Timothy D
Federalnoe Gosudarstvennoe Unitarnoe Predpriyatie “Gosudarstvenn
Poon Peter M.
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