Rocket camera system and method with rocket and camera dispenser
AssigneeBlue Origin Manufacturing, LLC
InventorEdward Shawn Schatzman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for photography of a spacecraft during space flight are provided. An autonomous deployable camera (ADC) is configured to capture images and video of a portion of a rocket, such as a crew capsule, as it flies in space with the Earth's horizon in the background and astronauts within the crew capsule visible and recognizable through windows of the crew capsule. The ADC, being reusable, is configured to land on the ground independent of landings or flight trajectories of the crew capsule or other parts of a rocket. The ADC includes a parachute to slow the descent of the ADC and tracking hardware to allow the ADC to be relatively easily recovered on the ground. After recovery, images are downloadable from the ADC.
Claims20
A method of operating a camera of a rocket system that includes a booster portion and a capsule portion, the method comprising:
- prior to, upon, or after separation between the booster portion and the capsule portion, ejecting the camera from a camera dispenser attached to the booster portion, wherein the ejecting imparts to the camera a speed and a trajectory that are substantially equal to a speed and trajectory of the capsule portion;
- and
- operating the camera to capture video or images of the capsule portion.
A rocket-camera system, the system comprising:
- a rocket including a booster portion and a capsule portion, the booster portion and the capsule portion configured to separate during a separation stage of flight of the rocket;
- and a camera dispenser attached to the booster portion and configured to retain a camera until the camera dispenser ejects the camera upon or after the separation stage.
A method of operating a rocket-camera system, the method comprising:
- prior to, during, or subsequent to a separation between a first portion and a second portion of a rocket, ejecting a camera from a camera dispenser attached to the first portion of the rocket, wherein the ejecting imparts to the camera a speed and a trajectory that are substantially equal to a speed and trajectory of the first portion or the second portion of the rocket;
- and
- using the camera to capture video or images of the first portion or the second portion of the rocket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.