DE102005028378B4 - Improved thruster solar sailor with sail setting and rerouting device, self-adjusting central inner ring structure with docking and payload station, as well as additional mobile, dockable engine unit (s) - Google Patents

Abstract

With this patent, the thruster solar sailor, which has already been dealt with in two preliminary applications, is supplemented and improved by further devices and methods. In particular, by dividing the solar sail into a plurality of sails, which are attached to operated with electric motors rollers, the automatic setting and reefing of oversized solar sails in conjunction with additional winches allows. The so far regarded as the main obstacle to the use of large solar gliders folding, unfolding and mounting complete sail areas in space is thus avoided. Likewise, the space installation of oversized solar gliders is complemented by the introduction of a rigid inner ring structure with integrated power supply and an adjustment device. This consists of the previously known central docking and charging station, which is surrounded by attached rings for receiving solar cell arrays and other accessories and to which winches are attached, which allow to adjust the inner ring structure in the center of the glider. A mobile, self-flyable thruster unit that can dock and undock in the inner ring construction now allows the thruster-ring spacecraft and solar glider design to be limited to the low-thrust drive option with the option of adding stronger drive types.

Description

The Application relates to a thruster solar sailor according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for setting large sail areas therefor according to the preamble of claim 8.

With this application, the functionality of the patent application DE 102 34 902 A1 from 24.07.2002 presented solar glider, or thruster ring spacecraft and in the request for extension DE 10 2004 004 543 A1 from 31.12.2003, inter alia, treated (inner ring) support structures for thruster ring space vehicles to the devices mentioned in the title or procedures extended.

These Spacecraft are in particular by a rigid, supporting pipe outer ring with several there mainly characterized in the control arranged low-thrust drive units, the solar sail and solar cells and all other loads with Can take help of belt or thread nets or clothing.

The Outer ring structure lets the Forgoing complicating, aggravating the handling of the glider Mast, boom and rafter constructions too, while the displacement of the control drives outward clear the way for the inclusion of a held by the net, from both sides accessible, central docking and charging station in the form of an inner ring construction.

The The charging and docking station located in the center is suitable for also several spacecraft or airworthy functional units and undock, as well as payloads by means of winch devices to record and handle.

Sailing apparatus and methods at large or oversized solar gliders

As the space probe of the European Union, Smart I have proven that low-thrust drives are not only for control, but also for direct propulsion of a spacecraft suitable. (Smart I has with the help of their solar electric drive under constant increase Orbit velocity out of Earth orbit, the lunar orbit reached).

The extensive drive equipment of the here discussed solar gliders can also help it to increase orbit before the intended as the main drive source sail is set.

These Property should be used as described below Separate assembly of the sailor and sailing nets and thereby the for Solar sailer dangerous Avoid effects of the terrestrial peripheral atmosphere.

Problem:

ever larger one Solar sailer is, the more thrust he can develop, the thinner that The actual sail material is the larger (because of the lower Mass) the acceleration gained from the thrust.

Therefore The sail film of a solar glider should be extremely thin and as large as possible, in addition to the actual supporting structure of the solar sail also a notable share carry on payload to be able to.

A Solar sail foil according to the current state of the art has just once the tear strength from very thin Cellophane film, a carbon fiber reinforced sail (the one with a Triplication of the material weight is punished) has about the Strength a sheet of paper.

The aim However, even much lower material thicknesses, resulting in a very high damage sensitivity leads. This applies to both the actual operation, because the adding forces of a huge sail area on the edges of the Sail strongest impact and here the biggest risk of tearing exists, as well as for the unfolding process in space.

The special susceptibility to damage at the edge areas of the sail it follows, that the attachment done there and because it is for a better efficiency of the sailor is required, the sail preferably to keep it flat, which is usually due to tension on the side suspension points is realized.

A another possibility the increase in voltage can z. B. by complicated, projecting from the surface of the glider Mast and tree structures with attached voltage rungs respectively. However, this makes the sailor bulky and one-sided inaccessible and increased its mass to the corresponding proportion of additional required structural parts.

Around one possible To achieve low structure mass, the sail would be so thin that it just would be able to absorb all the forces acting on it, without being damaged become.

According to the current technical state z. B. a 2 micron "thick" carrier layer of the sail foil conceivable (so just the five-hundredth part of a millimeter) on the one still considerably Thinner reflective metal layer (preferably aluminum) of about 0.1 microns and on the back of another 0.0125 microns metal layer is deposited to improve the heat dissipation.

These backing However, it is actually no longer necessary when the sail first once unfolded and set.

Therefore is even considering the carrier layer to manufacture a plastic material that after sailing through the acting UV rays evaporate, leaving only the reflective Metal layer remains.

Already In 1979, the then MIT scientist Eric Drexler suggested such a thing Process with patents for Solar sailer and manufacturing process of the sail foil ago, in which such a film of 15 to 100 nanometers thickness in space through a corresponding space fabrication facility made and in many smaller triangular pieces assembled in a mounting frame into a large sail structure, due to voltage rungs and rotation the important for solar gliders flat Maintains shape.

Eric Drexler was able to produce such super thin films actually in small quantities to make and handle in the laboratory. It turned out, that they are for Folding or unfolding processes were too vulnerable and a production on earth with subsequent spending into space was therefore out of the question.

When the only option, Accordingly, only those proposed by Drexler remained Production in space.

Definitely Direct space production is the most obvious and for the more distant Future more suitable problem solution. The disturbing influences the earthly atmosphere and gravitation can avoided and therefore much more vulnerable Sail materials are used.

There However, development and launch of such facilities even with not insignificant effort, the production of such Sail on the earth for the closer Future be a noteworthy alternative.

For an on Earth-made sail, that yes for transport into space However, there is a risk of folding it by folding weak and then afterwards to damage during deployment at the place of assembly.

As can you deploy such a vulnerable solar sail in space, mount and operate under load, without it in particular tearing the pages?

One Part of the problem solution is due to the design of the improved by this patent Thruster solar glider as described below allows only.

Of the rigid bearing outer ring allows to keep the load of the sail and possibly tension too flat the sail area on these by means of edged threads evenly distributed.

Yet are the problems of handling such a huge sail at the unfolding and assembly, the weakening of the sail by folding, as well as the elevated Gravitational loading of the sensitive sail material by the Acceleration during launcher launches for the solar gliders discussed here not yet complete solved.

the Inventor is so far except for those proposed by Eric Drexler direct spacecrafting of giant, dragon-like solar sails, whose Tension by rotation and voltage rungs is obtained, too No suggestion for oversized solar gliders become known of another type.

Compared to the here treated Thruster solar glider with central payload and Docking station has this type in addition to the higher cost for development and projection of appropriate space manufacturing facility, however significant disadvantages in terms of controllability of the sailor and handling the charge up.

moreover could the installation of such a sailor because of the following described danger of falling not in problematic for solar glider Edge area of the Earth's atmosphere be done and should currently for lack of appropriate radiation protection for astronauts exclusively remotely controlled.

The The method described with this patent is intended, inter alia an assembly of the spacecraft with parts made on earth at a space station, which is located in near-Earth orbit, allow.

• Hierzu ein Zitat aus Solar Sailing, Technology, Dynamics and Mission Applications, 1 Ausgabe, Seite 56: „One of the key problems in solar sail design is the packing and subsequent deployment of large areas of thin sail film.” „Indeed, the packing and deployment problem has perhaps been the greatest impediment to practical solar sail utilisation.”

However, this is not without problems according to the current state of technology.

• Here is a quote from Solar Sailing, Technology, Dynamics and Mission Applications, 1 issue, page 56: "One of the key problems in solar sail design.""Indeed, the packing and deployment problem has perhaps been the greatest impediment to practical solar sail utilization. "

Just for the Here treated very large solar glider is a feasible one Practical method for stowing and setting the sail, without to damage this on this occasion, necessary.

This should allow some automation in sailing assembly by the endangerment by astronauts because of possible direct missions in free space largely is reduced.

It exists (by the space-related danger for the astronauts once apart) the danger that astronauts in spacesuits several Square kilometer large Can not handle sails, or this due to the disability caused by spacesuits in the Damage assembly (a wrong movement or acceleration or abortion in the wrong direction could sufficient for this).

To oversized solar sail of more than 2 × 2 square kilometers (currently regarded as the upper limit sail area, which folded into the hold one Space Shuttle fits) should be another solution being found. Because at the moment you can see it as necessary for a big sail to assemble it completely on Earth from many sailor webs, to fold the sail, to transport it into space and there again to unfold.

One Another problem facing project designers large solar glider projects have to deal with are the effects of the terrestrial residual atmosphere in near-Earth orbit.

So is z. For example, the International Space Station (ISS), which is located in this Edge area moves (on average about 400 km above the earth's surface), through this atmospheric Leftovers so thwarted that they would soon fall to the earth, though not regular corrective corrective measures under Thruster use made.

The However, ISS already has a fairly high mass and a relative to a solar glider low attack surface for atmospheric effects; a solar sailer with his big one Area would be in the sphere of influence the edge atmosphere however, severely impaired.

Lt. Colin McInnes is the braking effect of the rest atmosphere below an orbithead from 600-900 km stronger as the pressure of solar radiation.

One Sailors at altitude the ISS would be mounted accordingly at the latest when setting the sail very quickly fall to the ground, though not next to the sail more effective drive options to disposal stand.

at an assembly outside of the atmospheric Influence range, however, comes a direct use of astronauts out of the question, since the prevailing radiation exposure of outer space this does not allow. Here would be only a robotic or remote-controlled installation conceivable.

So long So because of insufficient development of appropriate remote control and robotic techniques required the direct use of astronauts is, would be only a near-earth first installation of a tall ship or an oversized space structure, possible with the International Space Station.

To the Launch small, self-deploying solar glider to avoid the earth-atmospheric Danger Zone simply inject the sailor into one sufficient high orbit preferred. However, this is true of large sailors who are still in the Space must be mounted, not possible with current technical means.

Cosmos 1, a self-deploying solar glider whose launch time planned in the near future, should therefore be in an orbit of approx. 825 km above the earth's surface be injected. This is still in or on the edge of the danger area the earth's atmosphere and it is to be hoped that the sailor does not crash and it manages to increase orbit on its own.

Out cost reasons However, it is not more convulsive Launch option available. Used is a Russian intercontinental rocket, the because of the nuclear weapons-blocking contract anyway needs to be destroyed and therefore is available at low cost.

Task:

task The present invention is the design of the already beginning mentioned thruster solar glider to improve so that its construction in space, in particular the setting of the sail and the Einjustieren a central inner ring structure, facilitated and increases or enhances its drive options and controls become.

Farther The task is to be the thruster-solar sailor who so far only on its outer ring equipped with low-thrust actuators, further drive options (eg chemical drives) by automatically docking and dropping additional To open drive units.

These Task is with a thruster solar sailor according to the features of the claim 1 and a method according to the features of Claim 8 solved.

For this It is necessary to provide methods and apparatus for their implementation disposal to make it possible to very, or oversized solar sails for solar sailors with rigid outer frame of transport the earth into space and there at the sailor mount without any damage by folding, the deployment of the sail and the assembly or the sailing nets arise.

In addition, should an at least partially automatic sailing and sailing meeting be made possible to install and operate a Thruster solar glider in atmospheric Areas of influence (eg at the ISS) during the actual sailing nets in a safer, higher orbit can be done.

Farther should the direct use of astronauts while sailing through Devices that allow partial automation, be reduced.

These Devices are supposed to go as far as a space-sail-setter to lead, with the sail putting and replacing on a multiplicity of solar sailors can be made and simplified.

As well should also be due to the current limitation of possible sail area the restricted to disposal standing cargo area of the Launchers be postponed many times.

In order to make the foregoing desired improvements possible at all, it is also necessary to spatially separate the suspension of the central loading and docking station previously held in one plane (or in contact) with the sail, from the sailsetting and restraining system. The opportunity was used, the station in an inner ring construction 5 whose tasks and benefits are described separately below.

Basic idea of the invention:

Different as with most solar glider designs, assume that a composition of a mainsail made on the earth difficult to perform in space is, the sail only in space from a variety of individual Put together tracks, which are combined at the sailor to a complete sail.

The Railways can rolled up on rolls, then transported and only after the installation in space automatically be unrolled by electric motors or winches. This is avoided the folding problem, since by rolling up or unrolling Wrinkles can arise.

Also The assembly is greatly simplified, since the roles only in this already preassembled brackets on the outer ring of the sailor must be used or possibly already mounted on the earth on the ring segments could be.

In addition will the welding together / gluing a complete mainsail already on earth, folding and subsequent unfolding and mounting (for the inventor so far known no simple technical solution is saved) of such a huge sail and by the simple Rolling up the sails replaced on this provided reel body.

are The roll holders are also equipped with an electric motor and stay at the sailor, could also the automatic sailing meeting, for example a thruster solar glider the return in an atmospheric To allow edge area respectively.

by virtue of The possibility the reduction and enlargement of single Sailing by rolling up and unrolling would also control the Sailors possible this means, Such a sailor who already has the problematic zone of earthly gravitational effects would have left behind could completely without Get on with fuel, if the further control on the change the sail area limited.

As well the existing limitation in the size of the sail will prevail the possibility of almost to use as many reels and launcher loads for a single sail, significantly postponed.

Ultimately it will be for Thruster solar gliders, their roll holders, sail foil rolls and winches remain directly at the sailor, be possible, the assembly in the for solar sailors otherwise dangerous near-Earth orbit z. B. in mounted on the ISS mounting brackets perform.

After that could this orbit using the already existing low thrust thruster on a safe Distance from the Earth's atmosphere elevated become.

First subsequently then takes place the rolling of the already mounted sail sheets with Help of the electric motors mounted in the coil holders.

Texture of Solar Sail Tracks ( 2 ):

Around To avoid the individual sail cloth webs by the tension damaged when rolling out are, these are on both longitudinal edges with (preferably CNT fiber) Provided threads that the entire tensile load during of the tensioning process but also in later sailing operation, while the sailcloth hangs loosely between the two longitudinal threads.

2 shows a corresponding Segelbahn structure in which the sail 2.9 with two longitudinal edge threads 2.9.2 is provided at the wide end of each of a roller-mounting thread 2.9.5 be continued and at the narrow end of each of a spool drawstring 2.9.4 ,

The two roller fastening threads 2.9.5 are used to attach the sail on the roller, or on the outer ring (with direct attachment).

The coil drawstrings 2.9.4 should be at least the length of the sail and serve to pull the web towards the inner ring construction of the glider.

If the sail is unrolled (set), the two reel drawstrings are on the associated ones Winding coils rolled up.

In addition, the tearing of the sail foil in the longitudinal direction should also be prevented, so that in each case thickening of the carrier layer in the form of the "rip stops" passing through the web width 2.9.3 are provided.

shape and structure of the individual sails corresponds largely with it a design from the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) from the late 80s Years for never found, for the year 1992 provided solar sailing races to Mars, with the one self-unfolding disc-shaped Sailor was designed. Also have the sails of Cosmos 1 such an approximate triangular shape.

Unlike the 170-meter-diameter JHU-sailor, whose 480 sails are initially inside packed in tubes around the central spacecraft "bus", however, the webs in the present design are rolled up outside on rollers and by the tapered threads of the edge boundaries , which always rest on the underlying track (see 3 ), protected for the launch process.

Also the unfolding process of the two designs is different. While in the Thruster solar sailor the tracks of the sail foil rolls simply by electric motors of the role should be deducted towards the center of the sailor the tubes of the JHU sailor by spring force in a round outer structure expand while the sail foil webs are pulled out of the tubes.

Definitely a process that is not completely harmless for very sensitive films in terms of susceptibility to damage is.

Either Rip stops as well as edged threads the sails could z. B. by etching away a thicker carrier layer be prepared, with the thick spots on the edges and as Rip stops in the original material thickness remain.

alternative Connection options would be z. As the bonding or welding from Z. B. CNT threads with the carrier material.

At the lateral ends of the rip stops are in 2 also holding pads 2.9.6 drawn, which are connected to the rip-stops and with connection options (eg Velcro fasteners or push buttons or magnetic surfaces) are provided, whereby a lateral attachment of the webs to each other is to be made possible.

sense this lateral attachment is to lateral displacements of the To prevent sails, the z. B. by rotations of the sailor could arise.

Indeed the inventor hopes that the holding pads will not be necessary or at least the manual connection can be avoided since thus the advantage of automatic sail-setting and -Reffens would be significantly reduced.

If a waiver of holding pads possible Only the practice can show.

at however, the JHU sailor does not provide such connection pads.

One possible way to the automatic lateral connection of the tracks among themselves would be the Use of magnetic pads, with accurate placement of the tracks after lowering a magnetic connection without further action would go down. Prerequisite for this is however a very high dimensional stability and exact alignment of the individual sail sheets.

Since the sails are attached to the outer ring and the much smaller center area of the glider, each must be rejuvenated from the outer area to the inner area according to the ratio of the respective circumference of the outer ring to the mounting area in the center of the glider gene.

So would the Circumference of a round sailor of z. B. 2260 m diameter (this corresponds about a square sailor with a side of 2 × 2 km) are about 7096 m, while the circumference of a 30 m inner ring with adjoining 4 m solar cell ring only 38 m.

One such a sailor could according to calculations of the inventor have a weight of about 15 tons. Not much for such a big one Formations!

used one on the outer ring This 2260-meter sailor initially a 4 m wide track, tapers these where it ends, namely on the outer edge the housing (s) of the Solar cell ring on only about 6.3 cm wide. The tracks have So (except for the broken tip) a nearly triangular shape.

In order to the webs overlap during assembly, could z. B. the width is still z. B. 2 cm extended, resulting in a overlapping on both sides also lead 2 cm would.

The webs would have in the design presented here a width of about 4.02 m at the wide side and 8.3 cm at the narrow, and a length of
1111 m.

Rolling up the sails (s. 3 ):

The described above, ongoing rejuvenation The sails has two key advantages.

The thicker selvage threads can after one revolution of the roll as in 3 shown lying next to each other instead of lying on top of each other.

hereby be through different thickness of the edge threads and the sail material expected lateral beads avoided the handling such roles in large Sailors almost impossible would do.

By the rejuvenating Side-by-side threads also become the entire area the sail foil roll from above protected or supported because up to the middle of the roll forms an external spiral of edged filaments.

The Rollers can therefore also in the launcher in a frame floating freely and at their two-sided hub suspension be held without the delicate sail foil through the strong pressure load on launching is damaged.

The already mentioned 1111 m long sailing track would a z. B. 6 cm thick roll body in the middle range at one strength the sail foil of 2.1125 microns thicker on all sides by roughly 10 mm plus the thread thickness, resulting in a total diameter of the roll in the mid-range of about 8 cm lead would.

such 4.02 m long and between 6 and 8 cm thick rolls are quite to handle and with appropriate mounts on the outer ring to attach the solar glider.

The area of a single lane including overhang would be about 2281 m ² , the weight of a single lane, of which the mentioned 2260 m sailor would have 1774 pieces, could vary between 2.5 and 6 kg, depending on the material and film thickness , Then there would be the respective weight of the roles, role holders and winch devices, if they should remain on the thruster solar sailor.

Sail rollers, setting and reefing devices ( 4 ) and their assembly:

At the outer ring of the solar glider will be for each prepared sail foil roll two roll holders (for each End of a bracket), at least one of which and rolling should be equipped with an electric motor.

The Mounting the brackets could be after follow the same principle that the thrusters of the original designate Initial applications have been fixed (with push-through fastening splints and secured by locknuts).

Besides, they are the fasteners designed so that the sail foil rolls on Their two hubs, which also trained accordingly for this purpose are inserted into the holders and held by them and can be shot there.

The Brackets are on the outer ring The sailor is oriented so that every second roll is raised above her stands both neighboring roles. These tracks are after lowering on the lower tracks with both edges on.

In a later repair or replacement of a single track at best only these must be lifted (if it is the overhead track) and in the worst case, in addition, the two overhead Nach barbahnen (if it is a lower course).

Should the roll holders and winches for automatic sailing and Refuge remain on the glider, are only the brackets of the above Rollers can be lowered (eg by a rotatable joint or a telescopic support) executed.

comes it later to lower the sails, the higher standing roles with their Mounts lowered so far that the upper sails the edge cover the underlying with their supernatant.

Should Mounts and winches after sailing nets z. B. removed for weight reasons would be it is not necessary to perform this lowering, as the final attachment the sail would have to be done by hand or robotic anyway.

Here would but also first the lower tracks on the outer ring attached and then the upper overlapping drained to the bottom.

In addition, on the outside of the to the inner ring structure (s. 5 ) of the sailor subsequent solar cell ring for each roller-bracket pair a winch device 5.10 ( 1 ) assembled. This consists of a Elekromotor, on whose protruding from the engine axes, the coils are on both sides.

Sailing in space:

conveniently, would be all Brackets and winch devices already on the ring segments of the outer ring and the one for it provided fastening points on the inner ring structure already pre-assembled on earth.

in the Space would be then after the complete Installation of the sailor only the sail rollers in the space provided Use roll holders.

thereupon would the two winch threads from the Center area to the associated Sailway roles passed over and at the two edge threads attached to the narrow end of the sail.

It would be though also conceivable, the respective ring segments of the outer ring already on the ground with the respective inner ring segments by their respective To connect thread connections, so that a possibly complicated threading (At a 2260-meter sailor at least a distance of well over one Kilometers) can be avoided.

Of the Sailors would be now already able to use the winches with the help of the winches to put. The assembly was in the dangerous edge atmosphere area carried out, Sailfishing is not done at this time, but the sailor increases first its orbit alone with the help of its electric low-thrust drives.

5 shows a solar glider whose sails are not set, but here are the underlying under the sail retaining threads of the inner ring structure to see.

First when a safe orbit is reached, the winches become operational set the sails to the center of the sailor from the Pull off the rollers.

1 shows a solar glider whose sails are already set. Since it is a round solar glider, the sailways are rejuvenated in the direction of the inner ring more and more.

The rolling and lowering process:

Either Castors and winches keep the sails at first Tensioning and rolling out of the outer ring and the underlying, the inner ring construction holding thread covering at a sufficient distance, so that initially no contact with the / Net / covering takes place.

Only when the roll (s) is / are unrolled, is a lowering, z. B. by turning the rollers on the outer tube to the outside or inside ( 4 ) or z. B. by electric lifting or lowering motors until the sail / sail has reached its final position.

lowered only would every second, so the higher attached tracks. if necessary need this the lateral fixings of the holding pads take place.

The Descending method described here makes it possible, by lifting again and rewind individual webs exchange again if they are damaged.

Serial clothing device for solar gliders.

Around a larger number of sailing with solar sailors, the idea just the same size Thruster ring spacecraft of the same series with fixed mounted To provide roll holders and winches that make it possible to roll out the sails on this vehicle and provisionally to keep.

The vehicles to be covered in a series would not have their own winch and roll stops but these would be attached directly to the outer ring and the inner ring structure.

As soon as the sail is completely rolled out, the to be covered Thrusterring spacecraft to the Dressing device introduced and by means of (preferably automatic) holders on the covering device held.

The each individual tracks can then released from their bracket or winches and on the to be covered Solar gliders are attached.

disadvantage However, this method is that the final lateral attachment the film webs by means of the end threads by hand, if necessary with the help suitable robot would have to be done and a return of one so equipped Glider in Randatmosphärische Areas could not be done because of the lack of reefing.

advantage is that in the end final covered solar sailors without their own roles and role holders, as well as without cable winches and thus the weight of the sailor, as well as the total manufacturing cost of a series reduced would since only the sailor equipped with the serial clothing device such devices needed.

A Another simple method to these fortifications of the sails would be to provide the corresponding ring segments with a double bead, which forms in the middle of a groove / hub, in which the respective edge threads around the Pipe guided and subsequently is knotted.

Rigid inner ring docking and payload station with integrated solar power generation for thruster ring spacecraft and -sleep - method and devices for mounting and adjusting inner ring structures in an outer (thruster) ring

In the center of 5 becomes an inner ring structure consisting of three rings ( 5.a ) 5.b ) and ( 5.c ). The rings may consist of tube segments that are simply nested together and sheared by push-through sapwood and locknuts.

The rings are connected by the rigid ring connectors ( 5.9 ), which comprise the tube segments of the individual rings by corresponding shaping at the connection points semicircular and by attaching a ring connection half-shell ( 5.9.1 ) are placed on the opposite to the enclosures pipe halves.

By complete Carry out the splint through the resulting connections and attachment By means of lock nut, each one of the joints is additionally reinforced.

This creates a ring construction that allows between the rings ( 5.b ) and ( 5.c ) Solar cell / accumulator units whose frames are in turn provided with half-shells which surround the tubes of the rings semicircular and also with ring-connecting half-shells ( 5.9.1 ) are backed up.

All possibly in space to be made direct connections of the ring segments Thrusterring spacecraft can therefore always with the same simple fastening technique, which also for the attachment of the thruster and possibly other equipment on the outer ring is used.

This facilitates the development of assembly machines and robots with their help, the joining together spacecraft (controlled by astronauts of a spacecraft Space station) should be preferred.

The ring connectors ( 5.9 ) can be used not only horizontally, but also vertically, z. B. on both sides, starting from the innermost inner ring ( 5.a ) to create a docking and payload space, it is z. B. allows swarms of thruster ring spacecraft and solar sailers, and / or airworthy containers and / or self-docking and maneuverable drive units record.

Indeed is not yet the attachment and adjustment of such Inner ring construction solved in the order of dimensions larger outer ring. Projected in a reference design the inventor z. B. a 2260 m diameter outer ring and an inner ring construction of about 40 m in diameter, the one 30 m diameter and from both sides of the spacecraft disc outstanding docking and payload station.

Finally lie the structural parts of the outer ring and the inner ring construction in the reference design already around more than a kilometer away from each other.

In the present design, the attachment of the inner ring structure ( 5 ) through the in 5 shown holding threads 5.12 with which these in the outer ring ( 1 ) is clamped.

Since inner ring construction and thruster outer ring according to the ideas of the inventor first separately mounted on each attached to a space station mounting scaffolding who the inner ring structure ( 5 ) are then inserted into the outer ring.

This is done by an adjustment device consisting of the adjustment drawstring coils ( 5.9.3 ) and the associated (CNT) drawstrings ( 5.9.3.1 ) consists.

The Traction coils provided with an electric motor are preferred in the space installation already at the outer end of the ring connectors of Inner rings pre-assembled and the associated drawstrings already on earth with connected to the corresponding pipe segments.

Likewise, the retaining threads ( 5.12 ) are respectively attached to the inner ring pipe segments and the associated pipe segments of the outer ring prior to assembly.

Upon completion, the inner ring structure ( 5 ) with the help of its adjustment device even in the center of the likewise finished outer ring (or the outer ring around the inner ring) and adjust there.

There all other threads (also the drawstrings the sails) because of the initial installation spatial removal of the structures have to be designed too long It is necessary, these now one after another on the outer ring according to the correct length to shorten.

This could be done by the now completed in its outlines spacecraft in his holder as far further rotated that the places where the to be shortened Attached threads are, can be achieved.

Enough to attach one earth-toning inner ring construction provided 12 retaining and 4 adjustment "threads" actually off to the entire structure, whose weight is the reference sailor could move in the range of 10 to 15 tons, holding together?

First of all is a spacecraft designed to operate in free-fall or is provided in micro-gravity. The forces that are mainly on the spacecraft structures will act, the thrust forces are the Drives, so the solar sail and the low thruster.

The Solar sail, whose driving force is mainly used to control (with leverage, because the thruster on the outer ring ion thruster used far exceeds can maximum at ground level but only a boost of 9 N, so 900 grams per square kilometer develop. For the 4 square kilometer reference sailer this would be at ground level maximum 36 N and at 0.25 AU from the sun about 576 N, so not once 58 kg, which also affects the entire, huge structure equally distributed.

If one uses holding threads made of CNT (Carbon Nanotube), a material that is absolutely space-suitable and considerably lighter, but 10 times stronger than steel, is the here contemplated holding construction, which consists of only 16 threads (s 5 ), considerably oversized.

Everyone these 16 "threads" could be on Keeping a car in the air without tearing the earth.

used however, in addition as described below even stronger, docked in the docking area Drive forms at z. B. 1 G acceleration, the thread fabric would have tons heavy outer ring hold at full earth weight, its inertia on presses the accelerating inner ring.

A more detailed analysis, to possibly increase the Number of holding threads used and / or limiting the maximum thrust might be required here.

Mobile, dockable engine for thruster-ring spacecraft

The European Space probe Smart I powered by a low-thrust drive (ion drive) equipped was needed about a year, until you start with the help of your drive Near-Earth orbit could reach a lunar orbit.

The American astronauts needed a total about three days to reach the moon orbit from Earth and beyond to land in a lander on the moon.

Low shear-driven Spacecraft can do not take the route to the moon or out of Earth orbit directly. You need to the orbit speed and thus the circumference of the orbit slowly and in many orbits around the earth increase before you reach the handle Escape earthly gravity.

This is due to that Although such low-thrust drives operated very fuel-efficient can be however, as your name suggests, your driving power is extremely weak is.

The thruster-ring spacecraft and solar gliders according to the two preceding patents face the same problem; they only have their low-thruster thrusters, as well as the also low-thrust-generating solar sail Drive.

task The invention described below is therefore, thruster ring spacecraft and Solar sailer with one over accelerating capability exceeding low-thrust acceleration to provide.

In the already mentioned several times columnar inner ring docking station can Dock daughter units on both sides by maneuvering into the (circular) opening, where they are held by docking brackets protruding into the docking area become.

These Option is now exploited, more accelerating engines, in addition to their outer shell Low thrust thruster units are provided, automatically, or remotely docked in the thruster ring spacecraft.

These Mobile docking engines can then ignited if necessary and the thruster ring spacecraft z. B. for quickly leaving a accelerate planetary orbits or slow down.

burnt Engines can self-acting Dispose of by undocking or at a space station or on land an asteroid for fuel intake or possibly also in the free space or in orbit by tanker spacecraft again filled become.

There a big Docking station space in sheath and abundance offers would be it also possible each a mobile docking engine at the two outlet openings the docking station to place so that each for both the initial acceleration as also for that later again necessary deceleration mobile additional docking drives used can be.

Also to carry with you other replacement engines, such as a return to the starting point would possibly possible. With the necessary size of solar gliders is a correspondingly large-scale central Payload and docking station, which also consists for the most part of vacuum and a annular Lightweight tubular frame with two big ones ingress openings exists, a rather low mass factor.

So would not be only carrying single docking thrusters conceivable, but also entire clusters mounted side by side in a common drive ring Engine combinations, so that z. B. in chemical drives for one Acceleration only some of these engines are used when later In turn, only slow down some, while accelerating for the return turn only a few and when braking turn the same.

advantage the use of such clusters would be that the second exit opening of the Docking station for the entry and exit of subsidiary units remains free, or none Replacement of drive units would have to be done.

Which types of drives now come as supplementary drives for thruster-ring spacecraft in Question?

in the Principle all, the stronger one Provide thrust than the already used drive forms available can.

Here offer themselves first once the solar electric drives such as ion and Hall thruster in front of the already on the outer ring used drives in a considerably reinforced version, such. B. the HIPEP thruster development NASA. If one uses these in a cluster with a multiplicity of units, would with the enormous size of the disposal standing exit surface the docking station quite remarkable drive performance.

One such operation is particularly useful because a thruster ring spacecraft also over enormous surfaces for solar cells for the operation of these drives, which are provided with a very high current and voltage requirement, features.

Chemical drives:

The Chemical drives offer a high, proven drive performance. In time critical Missions could their use in favor of shortening the mission duration the best solution be.

Steam-powered:

The good old steam engine is one of the oldest and a very proven drive. She would too as a rocket engine by heating the propellant (usually Water) and targeted emissions of the pressurized gases in space work. she is not as effective as chemical drives, but it has a noteworthy advantage.

she uses a propellant that does not continue after its recovery must be processed, namely Water while the basic materials for Further processing and, if necessary, combining chemical drives are.

It can be assumed that water on asteroids, comets and moons (or on Mars) and lets win. For example, missions at their destinations could gain the fuel needed to make the return there, which would not require the transport of these fuels to the mission's objective.

Nuclear or on the use of nuclear power designed drives:

such Drives can unlike the photonic drive of a solar glider, which is essentially within a radius of 3 AU (three times the distance from the sun to the earth) around the sun is also operated in areas where the sun neither sufficient energy for the Getting around, still for can provide the energy supply.

This might be at a distance from the sun from 3 AU onwards.

One Another major advantage of using nuclear power to drive is the possible long service life and its unsurpassed high energy potential.

Problematic However, unfortunately, the potential hazard. Unthinkable what damage a falling, nuclear-powered spacecraft could serve on Earth.

aerospace, using nuclear energy as a driving force is therefore political both internationally and nationally difficult to enforce.

As would it be however, when nuclear powered engines are always far away from the earthly atmosphere in a park orbit and docked by the spacecraft to be drilled only in safe areas become?

Also on the return from a mission, could the dockable, mobile thruster will be unpacked again in a non-hazardous area, so that the actual spacecraft return to the earth's influence can, without endangering the earth.

Exactly this possibility, could offer the coupling technique described here.

Properties of a preferred Design of a Thruster solar glider

The submitted with the initial application design of the Thruster solar glider both in terms of the lack of automatic docking, the Load distribution, as well as lack of possibilities of comfortable Handling payloads Weak up.

This was in particular with the previous first subsequent application improved treated in the central payload and docking station.

With the second subsequent application which has now been submitted were the problems the difficult on-site installation in space and the limited acceleration capability both the solar sail and the ion drives by the possibility the additional Use more sheared Drives, as well as the previously missing use of the sailor in the atmospheric The periphery of a near-earth space station has been approached.

following Now is a now preferred embodiment of a Thruster solar glider whose characteristics are combined in all three patent applications and again revised were.

Before However, this design is explained again, the main advantages and characteristics, which this sailor now unites in a single model described become.

No other inventor known solar glider model offers this clenched String of positive features and properties, all in a single spacecraft could be realized.

Fuel / energy consumption and application

Several Decade after the first moon landing, human spaceflight suffers still the immense fuel needs of every single mission needed the largest part the structures of the spacecraft used to transport This fuel must be used.

Even in the shipment and stationing of reusable spacecraft in space the fuel required by these is expensive and expensive (a single kilogram spent in space costs several thousand dollars or euros.

Of the Thought that a spacecraft is also completely fuel-free only by the power of the sun could be controlled and driven therefore enormous charm.

Not Most recently, the solar sailing dream has such a faithful supportive trailer community.

Although the Thruster solar glider belongs to the fuel-consuming spacecraft through the additional use of other propulsion forms, it can be described with the aid of the foregoing NEN sail-setting and reef facility and the thus possible targeted change in the sail areas where it is possible to be used as pure solar glider completely fuel-free.

It There are certainly more solar sailer designs that are also completely fuel-free Should dominate locomotion mode, z. B. in that at the outer ends Pole-bearing solar glider smaller movable sail area (Vanes) be used for control or that the sails in single, tilt-adjustable wings are split, which are the Enable control should.

Control and maneuverability

Indeed Solar gliders already come in shortly after the launch of Earth a little suitable for solar sailing location, because this in the closer Environment of the earth's prevailing conditions are conceivably bad.

Of the Sailors needed therefore an extremely high control capability right at the beginning of its use. First he is slowed down by the earthly Randatmosphäre and then he still has after every half-way round the earth in the opposite direction of the previous one Accelerate movement while focusing on the driving Align radiation of the sun.

One Only one-sided coated sailors would have to be very often his Abruptly change orientation by complete rotations, while the double-sided coated Thruster solar sailor with bilateral energy supply even with the "back" is sailable to the sun.

He For this reason, the circumnavigation of the earth can be much calmer tackle it, though with its low-thrust thrusters on the outer ring a possibility to disposal stands, such maneuvers perform.

Also This type of control is very Treibsfoff-saving, because in the preferably used ion thrusters is a very effective, low fuel-consuming Drive type (only about one-tenth of the fuel consumption of chemical Drives).

For the rest the thrusters mainly used for control So only turn the spacecraft while the actual propulsion in normal operation by the solar sail.

by virtue of the preferred payload and mass placement to the center of the glider, the thrusters consume even less fuel because of the long lever.

One Earth point in the area near the center lays one in the same period much shorter Way back as a center far back and therefore must to a significantly lower speed than a mass point, located on the outer ring of the sailor is accelerated.

Therefore, the fairly heavy power unit, here in 1 and in 5 represented in the form of solar cell arrays, also immediately grouped around the central charging and docking station.

Achievable speed and duration of missions

Also at the achievable speed makes the Thruster solar glider a very good figure.

First of all can Solar sailors other than z. B. chemical drives inherently virtually infinite accelerate while the "powder" of a Missile is fired quickly.

The achievable acceleration depends on the area of the Sailor and the mass of the sailor (both linear) and last but not least from the distance to the sun (inversely proportional to the square of the distance).

By design a thruster solar glider can also provide very large sail areas, in particular because of the possibility to put together a large number of segments to a large sailor and many sailways divided into small portions on the outer ring insert.

however the achievable speed for mission duration is not everything.

If a sailor because of the long available, but still low thrust takes a long time to get started then in addition as already described many laps around the earth must curve before he can leave the orbit, which extends the zurückzulegende Route unnecessarily, because a big one Part of the way is covered away from the goal and thus lengthens also automatically the route to the destination.

Of the However, Thruster solar glider has by the in this patent described possibility, the Quasi directly with the help of mobile supplementary thrusters with the stronger one too Drive forms can be used to cover.

insofar he is clearly superior to other solar sailer designs that do not have such docking capability.

Payload and handling

Exactly as in the earthly economy, the transportation of goods becomes too be very important in space, once there is a corresponding one Infrastructure should have developed.

Of the Transportation of goods is probably the most important function of spacecraft. For transport services In particular, the cost-effectiveness of transport services is important on and here solar sailors have constantly and because of the sun available for free opposite drive energy every other known drive form considerable advantages.

Indeed This does not help much if there is little payload capacity available and if hardly handled at the beginning and end of a transport can be.

the Author is known for just two other solar glider design forms which sailors in sufficient size for noteworthy Payload transport were designed.

The already described concept of the huge, of voltage hurdles held together in space-mounted glider, which increases its payload Traces behind, Eric Drexler and the design of the square pylon sailor.

Of the Mastsailer is with 4 in a plane projecting from the center outward Equipped masts and features another fifth from the center of the plane upstanding mast, mostly thruster to shift the center of gravity and thus control the glider and additionally Tension lines / hawsers to maintain a desired preferably even surface wearing.

The NASA had a 800-meter version of such a pylon sailor thought out, which unfolds in the room itself.

Because of justified concern that this unfolding process in a such a size a failure could be However, the pursuit of this approach has been for many Years abandoned.

Though This design is now being pursued again on behalf of NASA and in the near future, such a sailor, but considerably is smaller than the original one Design too, in fact be used in space, with the payload only on the vertical to be carried upwardly projecting central mast.

This Sailor is for the priority payload transport therefore less suitable.

It It can be assumed that such concepts only apply to smaller ones restrict self-inflating sailors become.

Should the approaching launch of Cosmos I at the time of this patent probably the first solar glider, which is actually in space maneuver will be a success, you will look very quickly for designs, the better for the Payload recording are prepared and then handle them can.

Exactly this is what the Thruster solar glider with its central docking and payload station and their docking cradles attached to the docking ring and winch devices.

Built-in solar power plant

by virtue of the possible Size of the sailor can also very big Solar cell arrays on the central described in this document Inner ring structure can be attached and transported, whose capacity meets the power requirements of the spacecraft far surpasses.

It exists z. For example, the possibility electricity consumption / transmitting Subsidiary units such. As laser units or microwave transmitter carry, and to couple these with the power supply of the glider, however simultaneously independent from the alignment of the nut unit to the respective target.

Also the power supply of other units through a connecting cable could be possible.

Easy space installation

The concentrated accumulation of all these positive qualities is of no use if such a concept is not feasible because of complicated assembly.

With the International Space Station has humanity a platform which was also intended for the installation of space structures.

solar sailors would be with set sail crashed in the area of ISS.

The Thruster solar sailor makes it possible to mount the sail on the ISS, but only later put in a safer place.

Also the assembly became clear again in the opinion of the inventor by the adjustment system described in this application and the simple, always the same fastening technology of the individual glider elements, screaming for automatic or remote-controlled mounting equipment, further simplified.

Preferred embodiment of a Thruster solar glider

1 shows a thruster solar glider in a preferred embodiment, in which the basic structure used in the pre-proposals of an outer ring equipped with low-thruster thruster drive units 1 with a central inner ring structure treated in this application (see also 5 ) is provided with enclosed solar cell ring, as well as automatically settable and reffbaren sail sheets.

This Spacecraft could completely mounted in brackets on a near-earth space station become and dangerous sphere of influence the earthly rest atmosphere first leave with the help of its low-thrust drives before it automatically sails by rolling out the already mounted on the outer ring sail sheets puts.

With 1 and 5 are shown apart from the inner ring structure and the outer ring two spatially separated layers, wherein the retaining threads for fixing the inner ring structure after 5 through holes provided for this purpose in the middle of the tubes of the ring segments are completely passed therethrough and after passing out on the other side of the tube around this and knotted with the Eintritsende.

The sails stand here over the supporting ring constructions, while the in 1 not visible holding and adjusting threads that clamp the inner ring in the outer ring, under 5 being represented.

The suspension the central inner ring structure should preferably be made by CNT threads.

The sails ( 2.9 ) consisting of sail foil ( 2.9.1 ), Edged filaments ( 2.9.2 ) and rip-stop threads ( 2.9.3 )) s. For this 2 and 3 wear themselves through your edging threads.

With had the previous supplementary request the inventor proposed a complete covering of the outer ring, can be attached to the payloads, whereby the entire disc surface for load area becomes.

These Design is for smaller solar gliders or asteroid lander or interesting for solar power plants, for an oversized solar glider, which is equipped with an already huge payload platform, would this only unnecessary additional Mass carried.

In an oversized solar glider, the inventor would like in 5 shown, perform a covering due to the weight savings only on the width of the inner ring to hold the central inner ring structure in the outer ring.

The Low-thrust drives give the solar glider even without unrolled sail areas a high maneuvering and controllability, so that he not only safely the thin edge area of the Earth's atmosphere from its own Leave power, but also there after previous sailing meeting return again could.

The maneuverability is very positively influenced by the attachment of the thrusters in double thruster units, each with two oppositely oriented thrusters in a jet pipe. This is also the pairwise attachment of similar double thruster units at each diagonally opposite outer sides of the ring 1 (two units each ( 1.5 ) or two units ( 1.6 )).

For example, depending on which thruster of the double tube units ( 1.6 ) are started, generates a rotation of the vehicle about the pole of the disk plane and these are braked by turning off the first used thruster and turning on each in the jet pipe opposite Einzelelthruster again to a standstill. Also, a horizontal linear acceleration of the disc in the direction of the disc plane is using the thruster ( 1.6 ) possible.

The double thruster units ( 1.5 ) in turn are intended for main acceleration of the disc in the direction of travel, of course, in turn, a deceleration or reversal of the direction of travel is possible by simply turning on and off without the spacecraft would have to be reversed for this purpose.

Likewise, however, a rotation about an arbitrary disk axis between two double-thruster units ( 1.5 ) possible.

The Spacecraft can thus be controlled by simple on-off control every desired direction turn or move and this rotation / movement by reversing the Decelerate thrust direction specifically or even reverse it.

The sails ( 2.9 ) taper depending on the size ratio of the outer ring to the inner ring construction almost triangular from outside to inside and are rolled out with the help of electric motors to the edge of the inner ring structure (set) and rolled up again (reefed).

By the possible Magnification or Reduction of sail areas in the desired places is (preferably outside of the Earth orbit or the sphere of influence of other planets) Fuel-free control of the sailor possible.

The setting (rolling) of the sail runs by tightening the drawstring coils ( 9.1 ), with the help of which the sails ( 2.9 ) of the outer ring ( 1 ) mounted sail roller ( 1.11 ) subtracted from.

The Sail sheets are reflective on both sides (eg consisting of a backing on which an aluminum layer is vapor-deposited on both sides), so that the sailor does not make a full turn after every 180 degree of orbiting the earth must complete the orbit speed continue to increase.

The solar cell ring belonging to the inner ring structure consists of a plurality of solar cell panels arranged between the outer inner ring ( 5.c ) and middle inner ring ( 5.b ), while the innermost inner ring ( 5.a ) for receiving docking daughter units (by means of corresponding holding devices attached thereto) and for handling payloads / loads (by means of winch devices installed there).

Prefers Here is a two-sided version the solar cells, with one between the two solar cells layers mid-range rechargeable battery pack, so that the sailor is independent of whether the upper or the lower slice plane points to the sun, always can produce electricity and in addition by the between the outer solar cell layers lying battery level also has a buffer for special energy requirements has.

There the solar sail would preferably coated reflective on both sides, it would also when aligning the "bottom" to sun produce almost the same drive as with its front.

This is especially useful in a terrestrial or planetary orbit because a sailor without (or with strong reduced) back Thrust every time he orbits the Earth / Planet, the thrust direction must turn back to increase the orbit speed as before or to reduce.

These abrupt twists could be avoided by the proposed design. The thin retaining threads and shadows from outer ring and inner ring structure would hardly on the bottom of the glider because of its enormous size to make noticable.

Though would be the here presented solar sailors readily able to help with his low-thrust drives perform these abrupt turns, this costs unnecessarily Fuel for the control drives.

Not shown in 1 and 5 is for illustrative reasons, the treated in the last subsequent application magazine docking device, in a preferred embodiment, the innermost inner ring 5 extending vertically upwards and downwards from the disk plane, thereby making it possible to accommodate several subsidiary units one above the other in their interior, whereby simultaneous docking and undocking from both sides of the disk plane is possible.

The Magazine docking turns the otherwise two-dimensional Sailor in a mother-ship in the innermost inner ring area for transporting several subsidiary units and / or a cargo ship for transporting several, even airworthy containers.

Of the This presented solar glider is thus particularly suitable for payload transport and -handling or as a mothership for spacecraft fleets and is through the low thrust thruster ring compared to others Solar sail designs extremely well controllable, however, if so required by control over change the sail areas even without fuel consumption move.

at a correspondingly generous interpretation of the solar cell area, the sailor can also as a mobile Solar power plant serve that with in pre-amendment request described automatically In and out docking power transmission units (eg. Cable, laser, microwave units) supplying power to diverse space projects can ensure.

Even if use as a mobile solar power plant is not intended is the possible sumptuous features a big one Solar sailer with solar panels the additional use of very strong solar electric drive systems that require a lot of power and voltage need, enable, z. B. the powerful but also extreme (electrical) performance-demanding HIPEP thruster NASA or clusters with a variety of smaller thruster units.

explanation of the drawings:

The Drawings can because of the discrepancies of the sizes of individual Elements not to scale be. So should z. B. the size of the outer ring moving in the kilometer range, but the strengths of the ring tubes only in the centimeter range.

The Numerals of the reference numbers are based on the numbers already submitted applications and therefore are not continuous.

To 1 :

With 1 the top of a Thruster solar glider is shown, which uses automatic roll-up and unwind the individual sail sheets ( 2.9 ) of his solar sail or reffen can.

This allows the operation of the yachtsman in for Solar sailors extremely dangerous atmospheric influence areas from planetary orbits and as well through change the sail area to the desired Also provide a fuel-free control.

In addition will the problematic folding, handling and mounting of very large sails in space in one piece avoided, since the individual sails rolled up on this provided roll body easy in the for this provided brackets are used on the edge of the sailor.

To 2 :

2 shows a typical to the interior of the glider rejuvenating sail ( 2.9 ), consisting of a sail foil ( 2.9.1 ), the Ripstopfäden ( 2.9.3 ), two long-side edge threads ( 2.9.2 ) to which the coil drawstrings ( 2.9.4 ) (without intervening sail foil).

To 3 :

3 represents a roll bar on which a sail ( 2.9 ) is partially rolled up. The outer edge of the last Bahnwindung lays protectively on the underlying Bahnwindungen, so that when completely rolled up the sail sheet from the outside by the edge threads ( 2.9.2 ) and protected from inside by the roller.

Of the Rolling bar is used in the assembly of the sailor with rolled up sails in brackets on the outer ring used by the sailor.

There the roller holders on the outer ring also can be provided with electric motors, it is in this case possible, Not only to set the sails, but also to reef.

By appropriate control of the tractive force of the engines, the Sails during the Operation of the sailor kept tense and thereby even to different Material expansions are adapted by different solar radiation.

To 4 :

With 4 the arrangement of the sail sheet rolls is shown on the outer ring after lowering the higher mounted above roles.

The Roll of every second overhead sails is facing the sails higher than the fixed lower rollers. The sails of the higher rollers can then after unrolling by turning the brackets on the ring Outside or Lowered inside on the already set lower tracks.

To 5 :

5 shows a solar glider whose sails are not set, so that the underlying fabric for fixing the inner ring construction, and the threads for adjusting the construction are visible. On the drawing of the leading from the reel winders to the sails rollers traction threads has been omitted in this case for better representation of the support structure.

To 6 :

With 6 is a self propelled by means of additional low-thrust drives (preferably ion thruster) even drive and maneuverable drive unit ( 10 ), which can independently dock in one of the solar gliders or a thruster-ring spacecraft with inner ring structure treated here and can drive the spacecraft and after the fuel has been consumed, automatically uncouples itself again.

hereby can the low-power but efficient solar sails and solar electric Drives the thruster ring spacecraft by a more powerful chemical or steam or nuclear-powered propulsion supplements and thus the tedious Spirals of the Orbiter increase be avoided.

The actual cylindrical drive body ( 10.1 ), in the fuel tank, fuel or Be acceleration chamber and main thruster ( 10.2 ) is surrounded by a docking and thruster ring ( 10.3 ) equipped with multiple outboard low thrust double thruster units (( 1.5 ) and ( 1.6 )), which carry their own fuel (eg xenon gas) in their holder.

The Low thrust units are used to control and move the Drive unit while the main drive is used to drive the thruster ring spacecraft.

1

1

Thrusterring

1.5

Double thruster unit right left

1.6

Double thruster unit up down

1.11

Sail web rolls

1.11.1

(possibly. motorized) mounts of the sail roller (not shown here)

2.9

sail panels

2.9.2

edge thread

5

Inner-ring structure

5.a

inner inner ring

5.b

middle inner ring

5.c

Outer inner ring

5.9

Ring Connector

5.10

Drawstring Spools - Sailing Track

2

2.9

sailing train

2.9.1

Sail film web

2.9.2

edge thread

2.9.3

Rip-Stop

2.9.4

Winch / coil drawstring

2.9.5

role thread

2.9.6

Side interconnect pads

3

1.11

Sailing sheet roll

2.9

sailing train

2.9.1

Sail film web

2.9.2

edge thread

2.9.4

Winch pulling thread

4

1

Thrusterring

1.11

Sailing web rolls

1.11.1

brackets the Segelbahnrollen

5

1

Thrusterring

1.5

Double thruster unit Left Right

1.6

Double thruster unit up down

5

Inner-ring structure

5a

inner inner ring

5.b

middle inner ring

5.c

Outer inner ring

5.9

Ring Connector

5.9.1

Ring connection half shell

5.9.2

Ring connection Splint

5.9.2.1

Ringverbindungssplint locknut

5.9.3

Drawstring Spools - Inner Ring Structure

5.11

Solar batteries Panels

6

1

Thrusterring

1.5

Double thruster unit Left Right

1.6

Double thruster unit up down

5

Docking ring the mother unit

5.1

Docking bracket

10

Dockable drive

10.1

drive body

10.2

Hauptschubdüse

10.3

docking and thruster ring

Claims (8)

Thruster solar glider with a rigid supporting outer ring ( 1 ) and a plurality of double thruster units attached thereto ( 1.5 . 1.6 ), as well as a central docking and payload station, characterized in that a) the docking and payload station of the Thruster solar glider central part of a rigid inner ring structure ( 5 ) with integrated power supply which is at least interconnected by ring connectors ( 5.9 ) rings connected in a plane ( 5.a - 5c ), the inner ring structure ( 5 ) by means of holding ( 5.12 ) and drawstrings ( 5.9.3.1 ) of the drawstring coils 5.9.3 which clamps the structure in the outer ring, is held in the Thruster solar glider and between the, located in the disk plane rings ( 5a - 5c ) Solar cell accumulator panels ( 5.11 ), and b) the inner ring structure ( 5 ) in case of need both in the plane, and by vertically above and below the plane attached ring connectors ( 5.9 ) is continued, for. B. to a magazine dock for recording multiple objects such. B. satellite swarms to realize, and c) the solar sail of the Thruster solar glider in the set state between the outer ring ( 1 ) and the outermost inner ring ( 5.c ) of the inner ring structure ( 5 ) and into a plurality of outwardly inwardly tapering sails ( 2.9 ), which are reefed on sails ( 1.11 ), which allows the installation of even large sail areas by simply inserting the rollers ( 1.11 ) in their roll holders ( 1.11.1 ) on the outer ring ( 1 ) of the Thruster solar glider, and d) the individual sails ( 2.9 ) by means of suitable pulling devices, in particular by means of electrical shear winches or coils ( 5.10 ) attached to the central inner ring structure ( 5 ), by means of drawstrings ( 2.9.4 ) are pulled in the direction of the inner ring structure and thus set, wherein the drawstrings ( 2.9.4 ) with the tensile load receiving edge threads ( 2.9.2 ) of the sails ( 2.9 ) and e) at least one of the two roll holders ( 1.11.1 ) a sails ( 2.9 ) is provided with an electric motor that allows unrolled ( 2.9 ) again partially or fully until complete reefing on her Segelbahnrollen ( 1.11 ), and f) the sailor is controlled by reducing or enlarging the sail areas by rolling up and down in the desired areas and thus operating fuel-free if necessary, and g) at least one mobile, docking-capable, space-based auxiliary drive in the docking station ( 10 ) entrained with a central drive body ( 10.1 ) and several around the drive body ( 10.1 low thrust double transceiver units ( 1.5 ) and ( 1.6 ), with the aid of which the docking-capable auxiliary drive can be moved and controlled independently of the solar glider and the central drive body ( 10.1 ) with at least one or more clustered main thruster ( 10.2 ), which can be ignited both together and separately, the additional drive of the mobile auxiliary drive receiving Thruster solar glider is used Thruster solar glider according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner ring structure ( 5 ) with a plurality of draw-thread spools ( 5.9.3 ), which at the outermost inner ring ( 5.c ) and when mounting large solar gliders are used, the inner ring structure ( 5 ) by means of its on the outer ring ( 1 ) attached ends of the drawstrings ( 5.9.3.1 ) in these and to adjust there. Thruster solar glider according to claim 1, characterized in that the solar cell accumulator panels ( 5.11 ) consist of a central accumulator layer, which are surrounded on both sides by solar cell layers, and in conjunction with a two-sided coating of the solar sail films ( 2.9 ) allow operation with the sun-facing back of the solar glider. Thruster solar glider according to claim 3, characterized in that the outer frame of the solar cell-accumulator panels ( 5.13 ) is provided with half-shell-shaped brackets, which include the tubular body of the rings and in the same, already used in the connection of the pipe segments technology, namely the complete insertion of pins through the tubular body of the rings mounted. Thruster solar glider according to claim 1, characterized in that the sails ( 2.9 ) from the broader end to the opposite end tapered sails film ( 2.9.1 ) exist on the long sides with load-absorbing edge threads ( 2.9.2 ), which at their wider end with the roller threads ( 2.9.5 ) and at its narrower end with the winch pull threads ( 2.9.4 ), the ends of which serve for attachment to the sails or to the winches / spools, and with several stuffing threads ( 2.9.3 ) are provided, which lead to the avoidance of cracking at regular intervals from one to the other sail path side and at the two edge threads ( 2.9.2 ) end up. Thruster solar glider according to claim 1, characterized in that on the auxiliary drive to the central drive body ( 10.1 ) a spaced drive ring ( 10.3 ) which supports both the low thrust unit ( 1.5 . 1.6 ) with integrated fuel tanks and at the same time from the docking brackets ( 5.1 ) the docking station is used for secure hold of the docked mobile auxiliary drive unit. Thruster solar glider according to claim 1, characterized that he designed as a sailing net and a) with appropriate Holding devices are provided which allow the same size sailors, which are not yet equipped with sail surfaces, at the To hold setting sailors, and b) with suitable devices is provided to the unrolled sails to the previously still sailless sailor to pass and by means of the retaining threads to attach to this. Method for setting large sail areas with the help of the sail net system according to claim 7, characterized in that a) the Thruster solar glider without sails after assembly with the help of his Thruster drive in a harmless Area outside the dangerous border zone the, earthly atmosphere goes, and b) is hit by the sail net plant there, and c) there rolled out only in the safe area Sails on the transfer devices attached to the equipped with a solar sail Thruster solar glider.