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AssigneePiasecki Aircraft Corporation
InventorFrank N. Piasecki
Estimating the term…
A multi stage high-altitude data acquisition system comprising a first stage manned lighter-than-air, engine propelled aircraft and a second stage air-buoyant vehicle of stratospheric altitude attaining capability statically sustainable aloft by a sufficient quantity of lighter-than-air gas contained within an expandable envelope balloon to carry the vehicle to a stratospheric float altitude and transportable from ground level to a tropospheric launching altitude by the first stage aircraft from which the air buoyant vehicle and its partially expanded gas containing envelope is releasable at the launching level while the first stage aircraft is established in a flight condition of substantially zero airspeed. The first stage aircraft preferably is a rigid type airship having a silo within an interior bay of the airship of dimensions and configurations as will retain within the airship the air-buoyant vehicle and its lifting gas envelope partially expanded to a volume displaced by the lifting gas at the lower troposphere launching altitude.
A two stahe stratosphere altitude data acquisition system comprising a first and a second air-buoyant vehicle, said first vehicle comprising lighter-than-air gas containing means, data acquisition means, flight associated items and means supportingly affixing said data acquisition means and associated items to said gas containing means, said gas containing means being expandable to a volume as will displace an amount of air at a stratosphere float altitude equal to the weight of said first vehicle and containing an amount of lighter-than-air gas as will displace said volume of air at said stratosphere float altitude equal to the weight of said first vehicle, said second vehicle comprising a lighter-than-air aircraft having control and propulsive means for controlled flight operations of said aircraft at troposphere altitudes, releasable retaining means for retention of said first vehicle by said aircraft, said retaining means being operable from a vehicle retaining position to a position releasing said first vehicle from retention by and free of said aircraft at a selected troposphere launching altitude, said aircraft propulsive means including means creating vectored thrust forces of directions and amounts as establishes said aircraft in a level flight condition of substantially zero air speed, whereby said first vehicle can be launched from said aircraft into the troposphere under an essentially no wind condition for ascension to said stratosphere float altitude upon establishing said retaining means in said releasing position.
A two stage stratosphere altitude data acquisition system comprising a first and a second air-buoyant vehicle, said first vehicle comprising lighter-than-air gas containing means, data acquisition means, associated flight related items and means supportingly affixing said data acquisition means and associated items to said gas containing means, said gas containing means being expandable to a volume displacing an amount of air at a stratosphere float altitude equal to the weight of said first vehicle, said second vehicle comprising a lighter-than-air aircraft having control and propulsive means for controlled flight operations of said aircraft at troposphere altitudes, means for retaining said first vehicle by said aircraft and operable between a position retaining said first vehicle and a position releasing said first vehicle free of said aircraft at a troposphere launching altitude, a supply of said lighter-than-air gas, means connecting said lighter-than-air gas supply to said expandable gas containing means and establishing the transfer of a sufficient amount of said gas from said supply into said expandable gas containing means as will displace said volume of air at said stratosphere float altitude equal to the weight of said first vehicle, said aircraft propulsive means including means for establishing controllable thrust forces directable selectively in any of the directions corresponding to the longitudinal axis, the normal axis and the transverse axis of said aircraft of directions and amounts as establishes said aircraft in a level flight condition of substantially zero airspeed, whereby said first vehicle can be launched from said aircraft into the troposphere under an essentially no wind condition for ascension to said stratosphere float altitude upon establishing said retaining means to said releasing position.
An aircraft for launching at troposphere altitudes an air-buoyant vehicle of stratosphere altitude attaining capability statically sustained at a stratosphere float altitude by lighter-than-air gas contained in an expandable envelope of said vehicle, said envelope containing a quantity of lighter-than-air gas sufficient to displace a volume of air at said stratosphere float altitude equal to the weight of said vehicle, said aircraft comprising a lighter-than-air rigid type airship having an elongated, streamlined truss frame structure within an outer cover with a plurality of bays defined between circumferentially extended ring frames of said structure spaced apart lengthwise of the airship structure and control and propulsive means for operating said airship in flight at troposphere altitudes, at least one of said bays containing a silo adapted to retain therewithin at least one of said air-buoyant vehicles and other of said bays containing expandable lifting gas cells, said silo having top closure means moveable between a closed position establishing an outer cover extending across a top portion of said silo and a retracted position exposing said silo top portion and an air buoyant vehicle contained therewithin to the troposphere, means moving said silo top closure means between said closed and retracted positions, and retention-releasing means for retaining said air buoyant vehicle within said silo and releasing said first vehicle for ascension from said silo through said silo top open portion when said closure means is in said retracted position.
A method of launching an air-buoyant vehicle of stratosphere altitude attaining capabilities statically sustained at a stratosphere float altitude by ligher-than-air gas contained within an expandable envelope of said vehicle, said method comprising retaining said vehicle and its expandable envelope within a compartment interiorly of a lighter-than-air aircraft, said compartment having a top section comprising a portion of the upper exterior surface of said aircraft, at a ground level altitude introducing into said retained envelope a quantity of said lighter-than-air gas sufficient to displace a volume of air at said stratosphere float altitude equal to the weight of said air-buoyant vehicle, flying said aircraft with said retained vehicle and its gas containing envelope to an upper troposphere launching altitude, maneuvering said aircraft into a level flight condition of minimal airspeed at said launching altitude, establishing an opening in said compartment top section of a size as accommodates the passage through said opening of said vehicle and its gas containing envelope and releasing retention of said vehicle freeing said vehicle for ascension through said opening into the troposphere for further ascent to said stratosphere float altitude.
A method of launching an air-buoyant vehicle of stratosphere altitude attaining capabilities statically sustained at a stratosphere float altitude by lighter-than-air gas contained within an expandable envelope of said vehicle, said method comprising storing said vehicle and its expandable envelope within a compartment interiorly of a lighter-than-air aircraft, said compartment having a top section comprising a portion of the upper exterior surface of said aircraft, propelling said aircraft with said stored vehicle and envelope in flight to an upper troposphere launching altitude, during said flight introducing into said stored envelope a quantity of said lighter-than-air gas sufficient to displace a volume of air at said stratosphere float altitude equal to the weight of said air-buoyant vehicle, manuevering said aircraft into a level flight of minimal airspeed at said launching altitude, establishing an opening in said compartment top section of a size to accommodate the passage through said opening of aid vehicle and its gas containing envelope and releasing said stored vehicle and gas containing envelope for ascension through said opening into the troposphere for further ascent to said stratosphere float altitude.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.