Deployable rocket engine in a combination jet and rocket engine
OwnerAryeh Yaakov Kohninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A propulsion system for a combined aircraft/spacecraft including: a jet engine having a longitudinal axis defined in a direction from a front end at an air intake to a rear end at a jet exhaust: a front end at an air intake to a rear end at the jet exhaust; a rocket engine having a longitudinal axis defined normal to a rear end at a rocket exhaust; a common engine housing having an elongated shape and wherein the jet engine and the rocket engine are configured substantially coaxially and with respective rear ends facing the same direction when the rocket engine is operated.
Claims19
A propulsion system for a combined aircraft/spacecraft comprising:
- (a) a jet engine having a longitudinal axis defined in a direction from a front end at an air intake to a rear end at a jet exhaust;
- (b) a rocket engine having a longitudinal axis defined normal to a rear end at a rocket exhaust;
- (c) a common engine housing having an elongated shape and wherein the jet engine and the rocket engine are configured substantially coaxially and with respective rear ends facing the same direction when the rocket engine is operated,
- wherein the rocket engine is adapted to be positioned in a stowed position and the jet engine and the rocket engine are not coaxially configured when the jet engine is operated.
The propulsion system of claim, 5, wherein the rocket positioning subsystem includes a first engine housing segment piece attached to a first lateral periphery of the rocket engine and a second engine housing segment piece attached to a second lateral periphery of the rocket engine, the first and second engine housing segment pieces located substantially 180 degrees apart.
A method of configuring a propulsion system for a combined aircraft/spacecraft comprising the steps of
- (a) taking a jet engine having a longitudinal axis defined in a direction from a front end at an air intake to a rear end at a jet exhaust;
- (b) taking a rocket engine having a longitudinal axis defined normal to a rear end at a rocket exhaust;
- and
- (c) configuring the jet engine and the rocket engine substantially coaxially within a common engine housing having an elongated shape with respective rear ends of respective engines facing the same direction when the rocket engine is operated,
- Wherein the rocket engine is positioned in a stowed position and the jet engine and the rocket engine are not coaxially configured when the jet engine is operated.
A method of operating a propulsion system for a combined aircraft/spacecraft comprising the steps of:
- (a) flying the combined aircraft/spacecraft to an upper altitude range with a jet engine operating with a jet engine operating and a rocket engine stowed non-coaxially with the jet engine outside of a common engine housing;
- (b) ceasing operation of the a jet engine substantially at the upper altitude range;
- (c) deploying the rocket engine behind the jet engine, within the common engine housing, wherein the jet engine and the rocket engine are configured substantially coaxially and with respective rear ends facing the same direction;
- and (d) operating the rocket engine.
A method of operating a propulsion system for a combined aircraft/spacecraft comprising the steps of:
- (a) operating a rocket engine behind a jet engine within a common engine housing wherein the jet engine and the rocket engine are configured substantially coaxially and with respective rear ends facing the same directions at an altitude;
- (b) reducing the altitude of the combined aircraft/spacecraft to an upper altitude range;
- and (c) stowing the rocket engine from behind the jet engine, outside of the common engine housing, wherein the jet engine and the rocket engine are not coaxially configured when the rocket engine is stowed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.