RU2108944C1 - Recoverable aerospace transport system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transportation of cargoes and passengers from ground aerodrome to geocentric orbit and backwards. SUBSTANCE: system includes recoverable single-stage aero-space plane and tanker aeroplane for refuelling the recoverable aero- space plane with cryogenic oxidizer in air. Recoverable single-stage aero-space plane is equipped with liquid- propellant jet engines and additionally with air- breathing jet engines which makes it possible to perform take-off with empty cryogenic oxidizer tanks, flight as far as point of air launch to orbit, flight in course of filling with cryogenic oxidizer from tanker aeroplane, initial acceleration in course of coming into orbit, hop and landing on destination aerodrome. Additional acceleration of aero-space plane into orbit is effected with the air of cryogenic propellant jet engine. EFFECT: enhanced reliability. 2 cl, 3 dwg

Description

 The invention relates to aerospace engineering, namely, a reusable aerospace transport system designed to transport goods and passengers from a serial aviation aerodrome to a geocentric orbit and back from a geocentric orbit to a ground airfield.

 The Vostok, Voskhod (Russia), Saturn (USA), Ariane (France), and the Space Shuttle (USA) reusable aerospace transport systems are widely known. , "Buran" (Russia), designed to transport goods and passengers from the surface of the Earth to space orbit and vice versa. Systems such as the Space Shuttle and Buran are characterized by the use of disposable booster stages for launching an aerospace aircraft into orbit and reusable aerospace aircraft intended for maneuvering in orbit, meeting in orbit with space objects, landing and docking, moving in the docked position, the orientation of the objects delivered into space, the withdrawal and return of objects to the cargo hold, descent from orbit and landing at the destination aerodrome.

 One of the well-known reusable aerospace transport systems is a two-stage commercial aerospace vehicle with a first stage in the form of a subsonic booster aircraft with a turbojet engine [1].

 The second orbital stage is an aerospace aircraft, similar in configuration to the Space Shuttle aerospace aircraft equipped with liquid-propellant engines operating on cryogenic hydrogen fuel.

 The booster plane performs the functions of the carrier of the second orbital stage from the moment of take-off until the stage separation.

 Before starting at the ground airfield, an aerospace plane is installed on the accelerator aircraft.

 After separating the stages and launching the aerospace aircraft into orbit, the accelerator aircraft returns to the launch complex area and is used for distillation flights for various purposes.

 To install an aerospace aircraft on an accelerator aircraft, a special hangar, winches, inclined frames, a platform along which an aerospace aircraft moves on its landing gear are used, which complicates the prelaunch preparation of the system and requires additional bulky equipment.

 In addition, a system consisting of an accelerator aircraft with an aerospace aircraft installed on it does not allow achieving good aerodynamic characteristics at the time of launch and during acceleration to separation of stages and, as a result, requires the use of active systems to ensure longitudinal and track stability , as well as the controllability of the device in this flight section.

 One of the significant drawbacks of the aforementioned known two-stage reusable aerospace system is the high take-off mass and, as a result, the limited carrying capacity.

 The system does not provide the output of a payload not of an orbit of significantly different inclination.

 Another well-known reusable two-stage aerospace transport system extends operational capabilities by introducing payloads into low Earth orbits of various inclinations from one launch site.

 Such a system is claimed in the method of launching a reusable aerospace system [2], consisting of an aerospace aircraft, a carrier aircraft and a refueling aircraft (prototype).

 At the ground airfield, the pre-launch docking of the steps — the aerospace plane and the carrier aircraft — into a composite aircraft with partial fueling is carried out. Next, take-off of a composite aircraft, take-off of a refueling aircraft with fuel for an aerospace aircraft, flight to a predetermined area of a composite airplane and a refueling aircraft, their rapprochement and connection by fuel systems to the aviation complex, refueling the composite airplane from the refueling aircraft and separation of the aviation complex into three components of the device with their further independent flight.

 The specified system provides the possibility of a long flight in the atmosphere to select the point of launch of an aerospace aircraft into orbit, creates conditions for reusable use of all components of the system, and ensures non-clogging of air and outer space with separated parts.

 Nevertheless, the use of a two-stage launch of the apparatus into orbit requires complex prelaunch preparation, additional bulky equipment for forming a composite aircraft at a ground aerodrome, worsens the aerodynamic characteristics of the system at the time of the take-off of the composite aircraft and during the flight to a given refueling area, which leads to increased fuel consumption, and also requires the use of sophisticated equipment to ensure the longitudinal and directional stability of the composite aircraft and its controllability for hours flight path before separation of steps.

 The use of a composite aircraft does not provide the necessary choice of the orbit plane and requires additional fueling in flight using a separate tanker aircraft for this.

 The use of a traditional two-stage system by a carrier aircraft, as well as the use of oxygen-kerosene fuel in a liquid-propellant engine, does not reduce the starting weight of the system.

 The descent and landing of an aerospace aircraft at a given destination aerodrome in the above-described known transport system is possible only in narrow time windows.

 After refueling and separation of the aviation complex, when switching to independent flight, 80% of the starting mass of liquid-propellant engine fuel (excluding payload mass) remains in the tanks of the aerospace aircraft, of which 53% is oxygen-kerosene fuel used at the start of acceleration , and 27% - oxygen-hydrogen fuel, which is not enough to put an aerospace plane into orbit.

 The basis of the invention is the creation of a reusable aerospace transport system in which due to the new design of the aerospace aircraft, excluding the multi-stage launch of the device into orbit, it would be possible to launch payloads into low Earth orbits of substantially different inclination, and the possibility of a long flight in atmosphere for choosing a launch point into space and choosing a destination aerodrome when returning without limitation of time and place of landing, take-off reduction weight, simplification of prelaunch preparation of aerospace aircraft, improving its aerodynamic performance and reliability of the flight, as well as reducing the cost of development of the transport system as a whole and reducing the cost of removing the payload unit into orbit.

 This is achieved by the fact that in a reusable aerospace transport system containing an aerospace aircraft equipped with at least one liquid-propellant engine powered by cryogenic fuel, which serves to launch the aerospace aircraft into orbit, and having a cryogenic fuel tank refueling on an aerodrome, and an oxidizer tank, and a refueling aircraft capable of refueling an aerospace aircraft in air, according to the invention, the aerospace aircraft is equipped with additional airborne jet engines allowing independent take-off from an aerodrome with empty tanks of a cryogenic oxidizer of a jet engine, flight at subsonic speed to the starting point in the orbit plane, flight during refueling in the air, acceleration to supersonic speed, approach and landing at the destination aerodrome, and each jet engine is equipped with a tank adapted for full refueling with hydrocarbon fuel at the aerodrome, and the oxidizer tank of the jet engine is adapted for full refueling with an oxidizing agent in the air during the docking of an aerospace aircraft with a refueling aircraft when approaching the starting point in the orbit plane.

 It is advisable to place the jet engines with their input devices on the sides of the fuselage in the tail section above the wing in the region, which has a low temperature during aerodynamic heating.

 In FIG. 1 depicts (conditionally) a functional diagram of a reusable aerospace transport system according to the invention; in FIG. 2 - an aerospace aircraft of a system with partial cutouts and a symbol for engines and fuel tanks, top view; in FIG. 3 is the same side view.

 The reusable aerospace transport system (Fig. 1) comprises an aerospace airplane 1 and a refueling airplane 2.

 An aerospace plane 1 (Fig. 2) consists of a tailless glider with a delta-shaped wing of high aerodynamic quality and is equipped with at least one cryogenic fuel-jet engine 3 having a cryogenic fuel tank 4 ( hydrogen) and a tank 5 of cryogenic oxidizing agent (oxygen).

 Aerospace aircraft 1 is equipped with additional air-reactive (turbojet) engines 6 having a tank 7 (Fig. 3) for hydrocarbon fuel (kerosene).

 Jet engines 6 with their input devices 9 (Fig. 2) are located on the sides of the fuselage in the tail section above the wing in an area that has a low temperature during aerodynamic heating.

 This allows you to significantly improve the flow around the lower surface of the wing and fuselage, reduce aerodynamic heating during the descent of the aircraft from orbit, and improve the temperature conditions at the input devices 9 of the jet engines 6.

 Tank 4 and tank 7 (Fig. 3) are adapted for full refueling under conditions of a serial aerodrome, and tank 5 of an oxidizer of a liquid-propellant engine 3 is made adapted for full refueling with a cryogenic oxidizer in air through a neck 8 during docking of an aerospace plane 1 with an airplane refueling machine 2 (Fig. 1). As a refueling aircraft 2, a serial heavy aircraft equipped with a typical refueling system can be used.

 In addition, the aerospace plane (Fig. 3) has a cargo compartment 10, a crew compartment, control systems, cooling and other means necessary for the operation of the aircraft 1.

 Reusable aerospace transport system operates as follows.

An aerospace aircraft 1 (Fig. 1), whose dry weight is 26 tons, in a serial airfield equipped with pre-flight and after-flight services, a dispatch service and other components, is refueled with 10 tons of hydrocarbon fuel (kerosene), cryogenic (hydrogen ) fuel in an amount of 20 tons and takes on board a payload (4 tons), leaving empty tank 5 (Fig. 2) of a cryogenic oxidizer (oxygen). Using the jet engine 6 take-off from the airfield and flight (Fig. 1, arrows A) at subsonic speed to the starting point in the orbit plane with a range of up to 1000 km, while the small take-off mass allows you to take off using a typical landing gear and a typical take-off landing strip. In the vicinity of the launching point into orbit, the aerospace plane 1 (Fig. 1) is docked with the refueling plane 2 and refuel with a cryogenic oxidizer (oxygen) in an amount of 150 tons, then using the jet engine 6 (Fig. 2) it accelerates to supersonic speed and further flight to the space object 11 (arrow B, Fig. 1) is carried out using a liquid-propellant engine 3 (Fig. 2),
An empty tank 5 of the oxidizer of a liquid-propellant engine 3 during take-off from the airfield can significantly reduce the take-off mass of the aerospace aircraft 1, facilitate its design and improve operation.

 The process of descent from orbit and landing at the destination aerodrome (arrows C, A, Fig. 1) is carried out in the following sequence.

 After receiving a braking impulse from a liquid-propellant engine, the aerospace plane 1 leaves orbit and performs aerodynamic braking in the upper atmosphere. High aerodynamic quality of the wing and low specific load on it allow to reduce heat fluxes during braking and, as a result, the mass of thermal protection can be reduced. After aerodynamic braking and planning, the aerospace plane 1 uses its own jet engine (arrow A, Fig. 1) for approaching and landing at the destination aerodrome as a regular airplane.

 The main technical results of the invention are providing the launch of payloads into low Earth orbits of substantially different inclinations, the possibility of a long flight in the atmosphere to select a starting point into space and choosing a destination aerodrome when returning without time and place of landing, simplifying prelaunch preparation of an aerospace aircraft, improving aerodynamic characteristics and increased flight reliability.

 A significant technical indicator is a decrease in take-off mass of up to 30% compared with known developments, achieved by taking off from an airfield and flying to a point of refueling in air with empty cryogenic oxidizer tanks.

 One of the advantages of the proposed system is the reusable use of all its components, non-clogging of the air and outer space with separated parts.

 The decrease in take-off mass allowed the use of a typical landing gear and a typical runway for take-off.

 The invention is aimed at expanding operational capabilities, improving quality and significantly reducing the cost of developing a reusable space system. The system uses existing serial engines, the Buran control system, and a serial tanker aircraft, which significantly reduces the cost of putting a payload unit into orbit by several orders of magnitude.

Claims (2)

 1. A reusable aerospace transport system as part of an aerospace aircraft equipped with at least one liquid-propellant engine powered by cryogenic fuel, which serves to launch the aerospace aircraft into orbit and has a cryogenic fuel tank refueled at the aerodrome and an oxidizer tank and a refueling aircraft capable of refueling an aerospace aircraft in air, characterized in that the aerospace aircraft is equipped with additional air-jet engines that allow independent take-off from an aerodrome with empty tanks of a cryogenic oxidizer of a liquid-propellant engine, flight at subsonic speed to the starting point in the orbit plane, flight during refueling in the air, acceleration to supersonic speed, approach and landing at the destination aerodrome, and each the jet engine is equipped with a tank adapted for full refueling with hydrocarbon fuel at the aerodrome, and the oxidizer tank of a liquid engine is adapted for full refueling kislitelem air during docking aerospace aircraft refueling aircraft while approaching the starting point in the orbital plane.  2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the additional jet engines with their input devices are located on the sides of the fuselage in the tail section above the wing in an area that has a low temperature during aerodynamic heating.

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