RU2494019C1 - Method of making up spacecraft and spacecraft - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to space engineering and may be used for making up the modular spacecraft. Spacecraft comprises base unit, onboard engine, docking assembly with docking units, attachment and separation locks, sliding beams with crosswise docking units attachment and rotation assemblies, pair-wise sync separation mechanisms and fuel lines. Accelerating units are coupled with base units and turned through 90 degrees along spacecraft lengthwise axis to lock its position. Aforesaid pair of symmetric accelerating engines generates acceleration pulse then, used accelerating units and coupling unit are separated.

EFFECT: fuel savings and reliable operation of spacecraft.

3 cl, 4 dwg

Description

The invention relates to space technology and can be used to implement a program for the development of outer space without the use of super-heavy carrier rockets.

The known method and device of a spacecraft sequentially formed in a reference orbit of 3 specialized modules (7K, - 9K and 11K launched by the R-7 launch vehicle), used in the Soyuz complex project for a manned moon flight.

A disadvantage of the known method and device is its limitedness in terms of the possibility of increasing additional fuel reserves due to the tandem module docking scheme.

The closest analogue of the proposed technical solution is the Mir orbital complex consisting of a base unit and five research modules docked in a working orbit in a special transition compartment of the base unit equipped with five rigidly attached docking units: one coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the base unit and four deployed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the base unit.

The disadvantage of this technical solution is the rigid transverse orientation of the docked research modules with respect to the longitudinal axis of the base unit, which excludes the use of propulsion systems on them for issuing acceleration pulses in the direction of flight of the spacecraft.

The aim of the invention is to provide a method of forming in flight a spacecraft based on a base unit (containing a sealed enclosure, an onboard propulsion system, a docking module with an axial and several transverse docking units) by sequentially docking a set of booster units (containing a fuel supply, a propulsion system, a control system and means of docking with the base unit) to the docking units and devices based on it, providing, in comparison with the analogue, a wide the second range of stored energy, increased reliability by redundant engine installations and increased fuel efficiency due to the periodic separation of spent units.

This goal is achieved by the fact that in the proposed method for the formation of a spacecraft, the base unit of the spacecraft and booster blocks are placed in a support (take-off) orbit sequentially using launch vehicles. The transverse docking units are pushed out of the housing of the docking module with the help of retractable beams with fastening and turning units of the docking units. The booster blocks are sequentially joined to the docking units. Accelerating blocks with transverse units are rotated through an angle of 90 ° along the longitudinal axis of the ship (to the working position), and are fixed in this position. An acceleration pulse is produced using two symmetrically located simultaneously accelerating blocks. After fuel is exhausted, the empty pair of booster blocks is separated using beam separation mechanisms, the following pairs and the booster block mounted on the axial docking unit are activated and separated in accordance with the flight program until the set of booster blocks is fully used, after which the docking module is separated and the ship continues to fly using an onboard propulsion system. In the event of a failure of the propulsion system of the booster unit, unspent fuel is generated through efficient booster units, after which the faulty booster unit is separated according to the adopted scheme.

Schematic diagram of the layout of the spacecraft according to the proposed technical solution is presented in figure 1, 2:

figure 1 - spaceship: base unit pos. 1 with a docking module pos. 2 and docked booster blocks pos. 3;

figure 2 - spaceship: the base unit with the accelerating blocks turned into a working position.

Figure 3 presents the undocking of the upper stages and the docking module.

The spacecraft device, unlike the known ones, contains:

- a detachable docking module with locks for mounting and separating from the base unit body, pos. 7 (Fig. 3), attachment and separation units of retractable beams on the housing of a detachable docking module, pos. 6 (Fig. 3) and highways for pumping fuel between the booster blocks (not shown);

- retractable beams pos.4 (figure 2) with attachment and rotation nodes of the transverse docking units pos.5 (figure 2) to transfer the booster blocks from the docking to the working position.

The proposed technical solution, in comparison with the known one, allows us to solve the problems of creating spacecraft for deep space exploration using existing medium and heavy class launch vehicles and thereby save on the development of "superheavy" launch vehicles and their launch infrastructure, increase the reliability of the problem solution and improve fuel efficiency.

Claims (3)

1. The method of forming a spacecraft using a base unit containing a docking module, equipped with an axial and several transverse docking units deployed on the docking module perpendicular to the ship’s longitudinal axis, and a set of booster blocks, characterized in that the transverse docking units are pulled out of the hull in a reference orbit the module with the help of retractable beams with fastening and turning nodes, sequentially join the booster blocks to the docking units, rotate the booster blocks and with transverse units at an angle of 90 ° along the longitudinal axis of the ship, they are fixed in this position, an acceleration impulse is issued using two symmetrically located acceleration units operating simultaneously, the empty acceleration units are separated, the following pairs of acceleration units are activated and the acceleration unit mounted on the axial the docking unit, in accordance with the flight program until the kit is fully used, after which the docking module is separated and the ship continues to fly using the onboard propulsion st installation. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the event of a failure of the propulsion unit of the booster unit, unused fuel is generated through the propulsion systems of the efficient booster units, after which the faulty booster unit is separated according to the adopted scheme. 3. A spacecraft containing a base unit with an onboard propulsion system, a docking module with several docking units for connecting booster units, characterized in that the docking module is equipped with locks for fastening and separation from the ship’s hull, pull-out beams with fastening and turning units for transverse docking units , mechanisms of pairwise synchronous separation of beams and fuel lines for pumping fuel between the fuel tanks of the upper stages.

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