GB2611811A

GB2611811A - Renewable Fuel Hybrid Atmospheric and Orbital Passenger Airspace Plane

Info

Publication number: GB2611811A
Application number: GB2114821.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mokhber Ali
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-10-17
Filing date: 2021-10-17
Publication date: 2023-04-19
Also published as: GB202114821D0

Abstract

A passenger aeroplane having a rocket spacecraft fitted on top of its fuselage. The rocket spacecraft may use renewable cryogenic liquified hydrogen and oxygen fuels. The passenger aeroplane may be jet engine powered, using fossil fuels to lift the combined aeroplane and rocket space craft, collectively referred to as airspace plane from the ground. At an elevated altitude, the jet engine is shut off and the rocket engine starts to launch the airspace plane into orbit. When the airspace plane re-enters the atmosphere, jet engines start operating and the airspace plane lands at the destination airport. The rocket itself and the carrier aeroplane are propelled into orbit from airborne atmospheric flight, and landed together, as one entity. The airspace plane may be reusable and without parts being jettisoned or separated during the atmospheric and orbital flight. The passenger aircraft and cryogenic rocket’s outer surfaces may be provided with heat shields.

Description

Renewable Fuel Hybrid Atmospheric and Orbital Passenger Airspace Plane The subject matter of this patent is a novel design for the passenger long and medium haul flights aeroplane. This new design has two purposes; namely, to reduce the flight time by partly flying through the earth orbit and also to reduce using of the fossil fuels, instead to use renewable hydrogen fuel for the journey into the orbit and orbital flight.

For this patent, the definition of the air transport vehicle is hybrid fuel airspace plane, and it is comprised of two sections. They are collectively called hybrid airspace plane. This design uses a conventional jet powered passenger aeroplane which has a spacecraft rocket fitted on its top fuselage. The aeroplane uses conventional jet fossil fuel, whilst the rocket uses renewable cryogenic liquified hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuels. The cryogenic liquid rocket fuels are stored inside of the rocket spacecraft. This airspace plane design concept is a hybrid atmospheric and orbital passenger aeroplane. The conventional jet engine, using fossil fuels lifts the combined aeroplane and rocket, off the ground for earth atmospheric flight. At an elevated altitude, the jet engine is shut off and the combustion rocket engine ignites to launch and drive the plane into the orbit. The orbital flight then commences. In the orbit, flight course correction occurs when needed using rocket orbital manoeuvring and reaction control systems. Once the destination is reached, the airspace plane drops off the orbit and re-enters the earth atmosphere. The conventional jet engine then starts operating and lands the airspace plane at the destination airport.

This concept is novel as no such system is currently in use. There are spacecrafts which can be carried on the top of or with support of a carrier aeroplane, however none is designed or uses the concept of a rocket spacecraft propelling both the rocket itself and the carrier aeroplane into orbit from airborne atmospheric flight, then landing them together. The new concept and the innovative design as per this patent, includes both sections of the airspace plane; namely, aeroplane and the space rocket taking off from the ground for atmospheric flight, then airborne launch into the earth orbit, thereafter, descending to atmosphere and ground landing, as one entity. The airspace plane is reusable and none of the parts are jettisons or separated during the atmospheric and orbital flight.

The invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. As depicted in Figure 1, this proposed design contains the aeroplane and the spacecraft rocket fitted on top of the former. The twin rudders are distantly apart, so the rocket main engine exhaust gas nozzle, the orbital manoeuvring and reaction control systems nozzles, all are located in the middle of the aeroplane aft and in between its rudders, so the rudders do not get damaged when high velocity hot gases are discharged from the nozzles. Airspace Plane (both plane and rocket) have blunt nose to generate shock wave to divert heat on earth atmosphere re-entry. The rocket spacecraft contains the orbital manoeuvring and reaction control systems in its aft, and reaction control system in the rocket nose con.

The passenger aircraft and the cryogenic rocket's outer surfaces are provided with the insulating heat shields to protect the rocket, passengers and pilot's cabins, fuselage, underbelly and the jet engines on earth atmospheric re-entry.

The airspace has delta shaped wings for the purpose of storing the fossil fuels for the aeroplane jet engines and also to encapsulate the jet engines inside its metallic structure, so that the outer surfaces of the wings can be provided with insulating heat shields. This design undertaking provides effective re-entry heat shielding for the jet engines. The airspace plane air brakes, ailerons and elevators are located in the wings.

Since the airspace plane is already airborne using the conventional jet engine, it has high forward momentum and as a result the required rocket engine thrust to lift the plane to the orbit from the air atmosphere, is lower in comparison to the stationary direct lift off the ground. This would result in requirement of less cryogenic rocket fuel storage, smaller size rocket and less weight to carry.

Figure 2 illustrates the rocket air space main engine ignition to propel the airspace plane to orbit. Figure 3 depicts the airspace plane underbelly.

Claims

Claims 1. The design configuration and the concept of cryogenic fuelled rocket spacecraft, fitted above a passenger aeroplane, which when the passenger aeroplane is airborne, the rocket spacecraft takes over and launches the passenger aircraft into the orbit.
2. The combined passenger aircraft and the rocket spacecraft are referred as airspace plane, takes off the ground as any conventional flights, at a high altitude the jet engines are shut off, the rocket then ignites and carries the airspace plane into the orbit.
3. Once in the orbit, when the landing destination is near, the airspace plane falls from the orbit, re-enter the earth atmosphere, then the jet engines will start to land the airspace plane in the destination airport.
4. The design as per claim 1 where the airspace plane uses fossil fuels for atmospheric flight, ground taking off and landing, however for the orbital flight by the cryogenic rocket spacecraft, where it uses renewable liquified hydrogen and oxygen fuels.
5. The design as per claim 1 are reusable and none of the parts are jettisons or separated during the atmospheric and orbital flight.
6. The design as per claim 1 purposes are to drastically cut the flight length for travelling times and also use renewable fuel source for a major part of the flight.
7. A claim is also made if it is deemed to use fossil fuels in the rocket instead of renewable liquified hydrogen.Amendments to the claims have been filed as ollows.Claims 1. The design configuration and the concept of airspace plane, which is comprised of cryogenic hydrogen fuelled rocket spacecraft, fitted above a passenger aeroplane with conventional jet engine and fuel, where the former and the latter are protected by heat shields for earth atmosphere re-entry and neither former or latter parts to jettison or separate during the atmospheric and orbital flight, 2. The design as per claim 1, takes off the ground as any conventional flights, at atmospheric flight the jet engines are shut off, the rocket then ignites and carries the airspace plane into the orbit.3. Once in the orbit, when the landing destination is near, the airspace plane falls from the orbit, re-enter the earth atmosphere, then the jet engines will takeover to land the airspace plane in the destination airport.C\J 4. The design as per claim 1 where the airspace plane uses fossil fuels for atmospheric flight, C\I ground taking off and landing, however for the ascend to the orbit, the hydrogen cryogenic rocket spacecraft takes over and uses renewable liquified hydrogen fuel.5. The design as per claim 1 are reusable and none of the parts are jettisons or separated during CO the atmospheric and orbital flight.6. The design as per claim 1 purposes are to drastically cut the flight length for travelling times and also use renewable fuel source for a major part of the flight.7. A claim is also made if it is deemed to use fossil fuels in the rocket instead of renewable liquified hydrogen.