Spacecraft with a crew escape system

Aeronautics and astronautics – Composite aircraft

Patent

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Details

244 1N, 244 52, 244160, 2441185, 244140, 244 46, 244 123, D12341, B64C 3702

Patent

active

055269990

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates in general to space engineering and more specifically to reusable spacecraft providing crew escape in case of emergency while in orbital flight.


BACKGROUND ART

One state-of-the-art single-stage reusable aerospace vehicle is known to comprise a fuselage incorporating a crew cabin and a payload compartment, a landing gear, a variable-sweep wing, a vertical tail, a power plant, an orbital maneuvering system, and a crew escape system (cf "Novosti zarubezhnoi tekhniki" (Novelties of science and technology abroad) ,Aerospace and rocket engineering, 1988, No.13 Issued by the Joukovski Central aerodynamic institute, Moscow, p.p. . 3-4 (in Russian).
One more state-of-the-art single-stage reusable aerospace vehicle is known to comprise a fuselage provided with a crew compartment, a payload compartment, and a center conical body, a landing gear incorporating a multiwheel bogey and a nose wheel, a variable-sweep wing, a power plant, an orbital maneuvering system with final control elements, and a crew escape system with an escape module (cf. the newspaper "Za rubezhom" (News from abroad),Moscow, 1986,No.27(1356),pp.12-14(in Russian).
In the aforementioned known single-stage reusable aerospace vehicles the fuselage internal volume is used inadequately efficiently for payload stowage due to accommodation of the power plant in the vehicle fuselage. Said vehicles require a substantially longer runway for taking-off and landing; the vehicle has a low climbing rate because its climbing is effected only due to wing lift. In addition, the heretofore-known constructions of aerospace vehicles are not provided with a crew escape system in case of emergency while in an orbital flight; they are inadequately maneuverable in an orbital flight; their movability over the airfield of a home airdrome is restricted.
One prior-art crew escape system of a single-stage reusable aerospace vehicle, comprising an escape module and an ejection mechanism of said escape module. The escape module is provided with means for crew accommodation, life support, power supply, as well as an alighting gear incorporating an aerodynamic decelerator and a parachute landing system provided with soft landing engines (cf. "Novosti zarubezhnoi tekhniki" (Novelties of science and technology abroad), Aerospace and rocket engineering, 1988, No.13, Issued by the Joukovski Central Aerohydrodynamic institute, Moscow, pp. 12-14 (in Russian).
The aforementioned crew escape system is applicable only in the atmosphere, that is, during orbital injection of the vehicle and its return to the Earth.


DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is a primary and essential object of the present invention to provide a spacecraft featuring more efficient utilization of the internal volume of its fuselage, higher climbing rate of the vehicle and better orbital maneuverability , requiring a shorter runway and having increased movability over the airfield of a home airdrome. As far as the invention crew escape system of the proposed vehicle is concerned, the object of the is to provide crew escape in case of emergency while in an orbital flight.
The foregoing object is accomplished due to the fact that in a single-stage aerospace vehicle, comprising a fuselage provided with a crew compartment, a payload compartment, and a center conical body located in the nose fuselage portion, a landing gear appearing as a multiwheel bogey and a nose wheel, a variable-sweep wing, a power plant, an orbital maneuvering system provided with final control elements, and a crew escape system provided with an escape module, the power plant is partly brought outside the fuselage and comprises two launching rocket engines and two boost rocket engines mounted pairwise on the outer wing panels symmetrically relative to the vehicle fore-and-aft axis, two solid-propellant additional boosting rocket engines and two solid-propellant emergency deceleration rocket engines arranged pairwise in a common casing with the nozzles facing oppositely and situated on the tips of the outer wing

REFERENCES:
patent: 2684219 (1954-07-01), Thunbo
patent: 2981499 (1961-04-01), Janney, II
patent: 3054584 (1962-09-01), Andras
patent: 3493197 (1970-02-01), Spearman
patent: 3999728 (1976-12-01), Zimmer
patent: 4343446 (1982-08-01), Langley
patent: 4650139 (1987-03-01), Taylor et al.
patent: 4729528 (1988-03-01), Borzachillo
patent: 4802639 (1989-02-01), Hardy et al.
"Astronautika i raketodinamika," No. 38, 1990, VINITI, (Moscow), pp. 1,13.
"Astronautika i raketodinamika," No. 46, 1980, VINITI, (Moscow), pp. 1,5.
"Novelties of Science and Technology Abroad," Aerospace and Rocket Engineering,1988, No. 13, Joukovski Central Aerodynamic Inst., Moscow pp. 3-4 (in Russian).
"News from Abroad," Moscow, 1986, No. 27 (1356), pp. 12-14 (in Russian).
"Novelties of Science and Technology Abroad," Aerospace and Rocket Engineering,1988, No. 13, Joukovski Central Aerodynamic Inst., Moscow pp. 12-14 (in Russian).

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