English
Asonic Aerospike Engine- US6213431
- US6648275
- Aerospike Plane and Engine
- US191761
- US4817892
- U-Turn
- Patent Pending
- US Patent 7,344,111
- Ultimate Convergence Machine
French
Italian
| United States Patent |
6,974,111 |
| Janeke | December 13, 2005 |
Asonic aerospike engine
A space plane including a main body, an aerospike engine attached to the main body, and a bell-shaped nozzle primary thrust engine attached to the main body.
| Inventors: | Janeke; Charl E. (P.O. Box 27226, Sunnyside, ZA) |
| Appl. No.: | 712656 |
| Filed: | November 13, 2003 |
| Sep 30, 1997[ZA] | 978749 |
| Current U.S. Class: | 244/172; 60/204 |
| Intern'l Class: | B64G 001/40; B64G 009/00 |
| Field of Search: | 244/158 R,169,172 60/204,224 |
| 6213431 | Apr., 2001 | Janeke. | |
|
6648275 | Nov., 2003 | Janeke. |
Primary Examiner: Palo; Francis T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Osha Liang LLP
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/829,043, filed on Apr. 9, 2001 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,275), which is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/162,930, filed on Sep. 29, 1998 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,431). Both of these are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
1. A space plane, comprising:
a main body;
an aerospike engine attached to the main body; and
a bell-shaped nozzle primary thrust engine attached to the main body.
2. The space plane of claim 1, wherein the aerospike engine includes a tapered body and a slanted reaction plane on the tapered body, further comprising means for increasing propulsive pressure on the reaction plane.
3. The space plane of claim 1, wherein the aerospike engine further comprises means for inhibiting boundary layer separation.
4. A method of operating a space vehicle having a tapered engine body which has a slanted reaction plane, comprising:
firing the engine;
extending a length of the reaction plane at a predetermined time; and
removing decelerated boundary layer fluid from a boundary layer while the reaction plane is extended.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the decelerated boundary layer fluid is removed by using slits in an extended portion of the reaction plane.
6. The method of claim 4, further comprising selectively adapting a length of the reaction plane.
7. The method of claim 4, further comprising selectively adapting a thrust of the engine while the space vehicle is in flight.
8. The method of claim 4, wherein the space plane includes a bell-shaped nozzle main thrust engine and further comprising firing the bell-shaped nozzle main thrust engine essentially simultaneously with the engines.
9. The method of claim 4, wherein the space plane includes a bell-shaped nozzle main thrust engine, further comprising firing the bell-shaped nozzle main thrustengine once the space plane reaches outer space.
In some embodiments, the invention relates to a space plane comprising a main body, an aerospike engine attached to the main body, and a bell-shaped nozzle primary thrust engine attached to the main body.
In some other embodiments, the invention related to a method of operating a space vehicle having a tapered engine body which has a slanted reaction plane. The method includes firing the engine, extending a length of the reaction plane at a predetermined time, and removing decelerated boundary layer fluid from a boundary layer while the reaction plane is extended.