Reversible space plane

• US 7,344,111 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Charl E. Janeke
• Original Assignee: Charl E. Janeke
• Inventors: Janeke, Charl E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu; Teri Pham
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sanderson; Joseph W
• Application Number:
  US11/040,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20060006289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 244/158.1, 244/159.1, 244/159.3, 244/158.9, 244/171.8, 244/160, 244/171.7, 244/172.2, 244/53.B
• US Class Current: 244/158.9
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/14 Space shuttles reusable launch rockets B64G1/006
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 9/42 using liquid or gaseous propellants F02K9/72 takes precedence

Abstract

A reversible aerospace plane includes an air intake at a first end of the aerospace plane, at least one heat exchanger disposed in the aerospace plane, an engine at a second end of the aerospace plane, wherein the aerospace plane is configured to accelerate in a first direction and configured to glide and land in a second direction, wherein the second direction is substantially in a reverse direction from the first direction.

Claims

1. A reversible aerospace plane, comprising:

an air intake at a first end of the aerospace plane;

at least one heat exchanger disposed in the aerospace plane;

an engine at a second end of the aerospace plane,

wherein the aerospace plane is configured to accelerate in a first orientation and configured to glide and land in a second orientation, wherein the second orientation is substantially a reverse of the first orientation;

wherein the at least one heat exchanger comprises;

a first stage heat exchanger;

a second stage heat exchanger; and

a third stage heat exchanger,

wherein the third stage heat exchanger is configured to use tanked liquid hydrogen as a coolant to condense at least a portion of an oxygen component of an incident air, wherein the second stage heat exchanger is configured to cool the incident air with the liquid oxygen from the third stage heat exchanger, and wherein the first stage heat exchanger is configured to cool the incident air using the hydrogen coolant from the third stage heat exchanger.

2. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 1, further comprising a nose cone at the first end of the aerospace plane.

3. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 2, further comprising a fourth heat exchanger disposed in the nose cone and configured to precool incident air.

4. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 2, wherein the nose cone is configured to be jettisoned before a re-entry.

5. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 1, wherein the engine comprises a bell nozzle engine configured to be jettisoned before a re-entry.

6. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 1, wherein the engine comprises an aerospike engine.

7. A reversible aerospace plane, comprising:

an air intake at a first end of the aerospace plane;

at least one heat exchanger disposed in the aerospace plane;

an engine at a second end of the aerospace plane,

wherein the aerospace plane is configured to accelerate in a first orientation and configured to glide and land in a second orientation, wherein the second orientation is substantially a reverse of the first orientation; and

wherein the aerospace plane forms a hyper foil when traveling in the first orientation and a para foil when traveling in the second orientation.

8. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 7, further comprising a nose cone at the first end of the aerospace plane.

9. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 8, further comprising a nose cone heat exchanger disposed in the nose cone and configured to precool incident air.

10. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 8, wherein the nose cone is configured to be jettisoned before a re-entry.

11. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 7, wherein the engine comprises a bell nozzle engine configured to be jettisoned before a re-entry.

12. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 7, wherein the engine comprises an aerospike engine.

13. A reversible aerospace plane, comprising:

an intake to receive air at a first end of the aerospace plane;

an engine at a second end of the aerospace plane,

at least one heat exchanger disposed in the aerospace plane;

a first stage of the heat exchanger configured to condense the received air though the expansion of tanked hydrogen;

a second stage of the heat exchanger configured to condense the received air through the expansion of oxygen separated from air condensed in the first stage; and

an intake heat exchanger to cool the received air through the expansion of nitrogen separated from air condensed in the first stage; and

wherein the engine is configured to combust hydrogen expanded in the first stage and oxygen expanded in the second stage.

14. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 13, wherein the aerospace plane is configured to accelerate in a first orientation and configured to glide and land in a second orientation, wherein the second orientation is substantially a reverse of the first orientation.

15. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 13, further comprising a third stage of the heat exchanger configured to condense the received air through the expansion of tanked hydrogen.

16. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 15, wherein the third stage is configured to condense the received air though further expansion of the hydrogen expanded in the first stage.

17. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 13, wherein the tanked hydrogen comprises liquid hydrogen.

18. The reversible aerospace plane of claim 13 wherein the engine comprises an aero spike engine.