Arrangement for recovering spacecraft

In a system for recovering and transporting a spacecraft, including a spacecraft that is to be recovered, a powered recovery craft, and a coupling arrangement adapted to couple said recovery craft to said spacecraft,

• an improvement in said coupling arrangement wherein said coupling arrangement comprises:
• an interface ring provided on said spacecraft;
• a coupling mast comprising a telescoping pipe including an outer pipe and an inner pipe that is telescopically adjustably extendable from said outer pipe, and having first and second ends;
• a releasable mount that releasably connects said first end of said coupling mast to said recovery craft;
• at least three spreader arms movably connected to said coupling mast at or proximate to said second end of said coupling mast, wherein said spreader arms are adjustably movable relative to said coupling mast between a radially inwardly retracted condition and a radially outwardly extended condition, and wherein said spreader arms in said extended condition are adapted to engage said interface ring and thereby couple said coupling mast to said spacecraft;
• and
• pivot struts respectively having first strut ends pivotally connected to said outer pipe by respective first pivot joinits and second strut ends pivotably connected to said spreader arms by respective second pivot joints, and wherein journalled ends of said spreader arms are pivotably connected to said inner pipe by respective third pivot joints.

In a system for recovering and transporting a spacecraft, including a spacecraft that is to be recovered, a powered recovery craft, and a coupling arrangement adapted to couple said recovery craft to said spacecraft,

• an improvement in said coupling arrangement wherein said coupling arrangement comprises:
• an interface ring provided on said spacecraft;
• a coupling mast having first and second ends;
• a releasable mount that releasably connects said first end of said coupling mast to said recovery craft;
• at least three spreader arms movably connected to said coupling mast at or proximate to said second end of said coupling mast, wherein said spreader arms are adjustably movable relative to said coupling mast between a radially inwardly retracted condition and a radially outwardly extended condition, and wherein said spreader arms in said extended condition are adapted to engage said interface ring and thereby couple said coupling mast to said spacecraft;
• a collar that is selectively slidably displaceable axially along said coupling mast;
• and
• pivot struts respectively having first strut ends pivotably connected to said collar by respective first pivot joints and second strut ends pivotably connected to said spreader arms by respective second pivot joints;
• wherein journalled ends of said spreader arms are pivotably connected to said coupling mast by respective third pivot joints.

In a system for recovering and transporting a spacecraft, including a spacecraft that is to be recovered, a powered recovery craft, and a coupling arrangement adapted to couple said recovery craft to said spacecraft,

• an improvement in said coupling arrangement wherein said coupling arrangement comprises:
• an interface ring provided on said spacecraft;
• a coupling mast having first and second ends;
• a releasable mount that is releasably secured to said recovery craft to releasably connect said first end of said coupling mast to said recovery craft;
• at least three spreader arms movably connected to said coupling mast at or proximate to said second end of said coupling mast, wherein said spreader arms are adjustably movable relative to said coupling mast between a radially inwardly retracted condition and a radially outwardly extended condition, and wherein said spreader arms in said extended condition are adapted to engage said interface ring and thereby couple said coupling mast to said spacecraft;
• and
• a cable arrangement that additionally connects said coupling mast to said recovery craft and that transmits purely tension forces between said coupling mast and said recovery craft when said releasable mount is released from said recovery craft, wherein said cable arrangement includes a cable winch and a tension cable that is selectively extendable from said cable winch.