Electrically powered spacecraft/airship

• US 6,357,700 B1
• Filed: 10/02/2000
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Anthonu Italo Provitola
• Original Assignee: Anthonu Italo Provitola
• Inventors: Provitola, Anthony Italo
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh, T.
• Application Number:
  US09/677,241
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 244/158.R, 244/172, 244/162, 244/2, 244/24, 244/30, 244/31, 244/97, 244/99
• US Class Current: 244/171.1
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/00 Lighter-than-air aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/405 Ion or plasma engines per se F03H1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/409 Unconventional spacecraft propulsion systems
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/411 Electric propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/413 Ion or plasma engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/415 Arcjets or resistojets

Abstract

An spacecraft/airship, which uses buoyancy and thrusters to ascend into space with lifting gas as propellant or fuel for thrusters, which may be conventional thrusters or electric turbojets or ion thrusters. The airship aspect has gas retaining structures that can regulate the density of the gasses within. The spacecraft aspect provides for mounting thrusters, control, power, services, and interior space for missions of the spacecraft/airship.

Claims

1. An spacecraft/airship comprising:

(a) one or more gas retaining structures;

(b) a spacecraft body connected to one or more gas retaining structures;

(c) one or more lifting gasses;

(d) one or more electrically powered thrusters;

(e) means for supplying a lifting gas from one or more gas retaining structures to said one or more electrically powered thrusters; and

(f) a means of supplying electric power to said one or more electrically powered thrusters.

2. The spacecraft/airship of claim 1 wherein the gas retaining structures are torsion structures.

3. The spacecraft/airship of claim 1 wherein said one or more lifting gasses are propellants for said one or more electric thrusters.

4. The spacecraft/airship of claim 1 wherein said one or more electric thrusters are ion thrusters.

5. The spacecraft/airship of claim 1 wherein the spacecraft body includes microwave antennae for receiving beamed microwave energy.

6. The spacecraft/airship of claim 1 wherein one or more gas retaining structures include microwave antennae for receiving beamed microwave energy.

7. The spacecraft/airship of claim 1 further comprising a means for direction of the thrust of one or more of the thrusters.

8. The spacecraft/airship of claim 1 wherein the means for supplying electric power to said one or more electrically powered thrusters comprises beamed microwave energy.

9. The spacecraft/airship of claim 8 wherein the source of beamed microwave energy is on a planetary surface.

10. The spacecraft/airship of claim 8 wherein the source of beamed microwave energy is in space.

11. The spacecraft/airship of claim 1 further comprising a means for controlling the density of the gas in one or more of the gas retaining structures.

12. The spacecraft/airship of claim 11 wherein the means for controlling the density of the gas in one or more of the gas retaining structures is by heating the gas in said one or more of said gas retaining structures.

13. The spacecraft/airship of claim 1 wherein said one or more electrically powered thrusters are reaction thrusting power plants which uses electric arcing to heat and expand intaken compressed gasses.

14. The spacecraft/airship of claim 13 wherein said one or more electrically powered thrusters are turbojet thrusters.

15. The spacecraft/airship of claim 13 wherein said one or more electrically powered thrusters are ramjet thrusters.

16. A system for sub-orbital, orbital, and extra-orbital space flight from a planetary surface with a combination airship and spacecraft, comprising:

(a) an airship means;

(b) a spacecraft means;

(c) means for regulating the buoyancy of the combination airship and spacecraft to control the ascent of the combination airship and spacecraft as an airship;

(d) electric thruster means for creating upward thrust on the combination airship and spacecraft during the ascent of the combination airship and spacecraft;

(e) means for receiving beamed microwave energy for supplying the combination airship and spacecraft with electric power; and

(f) means for beaming microwave energy to the combination airship and spacecraft;

so that the ascent of the combination airship and spacecraft into space is initiated with upward thrust from buoyancy of the combination airship and spacecraft when the planetary atmosphere is sufficiently dense to provide buoyancy, and then continued into space by the activation and operation of thrusters.

17. The system for space flight of claim 16 wherein operation of the combination airship and spacecraft during ascent includes the employment of electric turbojet engines powered by beamed microwave from ground based installations as buoyancy decreases within the atmosphere above the altitude of neutral buoyancy, and employment of ion thrusters which use lifting gas as propellant powered by beamed microwave as the atmospheric density diminishes with altitude.

18. The system for space flight of claim 16 which includes a transition of beamed microwave power reception from one or more sources of beamed microwave power on the planetary surface to one or more sources of beamed microwave power in space to power on the flight of the combination airship and spacecraft into space.

19. The system for space flight of claim 16, further comprising a means for heating the gasses contained in the combination airship and spacecraft.

20. The system for space flight of claim 19 wherein the means for heating gasses contained in combination airship and spacecraft is electrically powered.

21. The system for space flight of claim 19 wherein the means for regulating the buoyancy of the combination airship and spacecraft also regulates the upward acceleration of the combination airship and spacecraft during ascent.

22. An spacecraft/airship comprising:

(a) one or more gas retaining structures;

(b) a spacecraft body connected to one or more gas retaining structures;

(c) one or more lifting gasses;

(d) one or more electrically powered thrusters;

(e) means for supplying a lifting gas from one or more gas retaining structures to said one or more electrically powered thrusters;

(f) means for receiving beamed microwave energy for supplying the combination airship and spacecraft with electric power; and

(g) means for beaming microwave energy to the combination airship and spacecraft.