United States Patent [19]
`Mueller et al.
`
`US005927653A
`Patent Number:
`Date of Patent:
`
`[11]
`[45]
`
`5,927,653
`Jul. 27, 1999
`
`[54]
`
`[75]
`
`TWO-STAGE REUSABLE EARTH-TO-ORBIT
`AEROSPACE VEHICLE AND TRANSPORT
`SYSTEM
`
`Inventors: George E. Mueller, Santa Barbara,
`Calif; Walter P. Kistler, Redmond;
`Thomas G. Johnson, Bellevue, both of
`Wash.; Henry O. Pohl, Seabrook, Tex.;
`Chris McLain, Portland, Oreg.; Allan
`S. Hill, Kent; Jason E. Andrews,
`Seattle, both of Wash.; Thomas C.
`Taylor, Las Cruces, N.M.; Aaron
`Cohen, College Station, Tex.; Dale
`Myers, Leucadia, Calif; Adam P.
`Bruckner, Seattle, Wash.; Steven C.
`Knowles, Seattle, Wash.; Richard
`Warwick, Seattle, Wash.
`
`Assignee: Kistler Aerospace Corporation,
`Kirkland, Wash.
`
`Appl. No.: 08/632,786
`Filed:
`Apr. 17, 1996
`
`Int. Cl.6 ..................................................... .. B64G 1/40
`US. Cl. ................... .. 244/172; 244/158 R; 244/160;
`244/172; 244/138 R; 244/164
`Field of Search .............................. .. 244/172, 158 R,
`244/63, 16, 160, 138 R, 164, 100 A, 129.4,
`129.5; 102/377, 378
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`1,739,193 12/1929 Ward .
`1,874,423
`8/1932 Belleville.
`1,914,573
`6/1933 Kookogey .
`2,841,107
`7/1958 Scheider ............................... .. 114/435
`2,977,080
`3/1961 Von Zborowski
`244/140
`3,000,593
`9/1961 Eggers et al.
`244/2
`3,122,098
`2/1964 Glennan ..... ..
`102/378
`3,168,266
`2/1965 Yost ....... ..
`.. 244/138 R
`3,221,656 12/1965 Sutten ............................... .. 244/138 R
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`2073449 10/1971 France .
`5-213282 8/1993 Japan .
`WO 96/01468 2/1996 WIPO .
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Pfeffer, H: “Towards Resuable Launchers—A Widening
`Perspective” ESA Bulletin, No. 87, Aug., 1996, pp. 58—65,
`XP000624079.
`Bono, P.: “The Resuable Booster Paradox—13 Aircraft Tech
`nology or Operations?” Space?ight, vol. 9, No. 11, Nov.
`1967, pp. 379—387.
`Hale, Francis Introduction to Space Flight, Prentice Hall,
`Englewood Cliffs, NJ Copyright 1994.
`
`Primary Examiner—Charles T. Jordan
`Assistant Examiner—Tien Dinh
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Seed amd Berry LLP
`
`[57]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A two-stage wingless reusable aerospace vehicle having
`upper and lower stages that take off from a take-off area and
`separate at a separation point along a ?rst trajectory. The
`separation forces are generated by air retained between the
`upper and lower stages, which is at a pressure higher than
`ambient pressure at the separation point. The lower stage is
`then propelled along a return trajectory to a landing area.
`After separation from the lower stage, the upper stage
`continues to an Earth orbit for deployment of a payload.
`After deploying the payload, the upper stage moves out of
`the Earth orbit, re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, and returns
`to the take-off and landing area. The upper and lower stages
`are powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene engines. The
`aerospace vehicle is transported to a take-off area by a
`transport vehicle having a ?rst ?xed carriage and a second
`translatable carriage that is adapted to move the upper stage
`relative to the lower stage for assembly of the aerospace
`vehicle while in the horizontal position. The transport
`vehicle then pivots the aerospace vehicle from the horizontal
`to the vertical position for launching.
`
`(List continued on next page.)
`
`57 Claims, 26 Drawing Sheets
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 1 of 49
`
`

`

`5,927,653
`Page 2
`
`US. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4,709,883 12/1987 Giuliani et a1. ......................... .. 244/63
`
`3 260 204 M9“ Wlk
`,
`,
`1 Cy .
`3,285,175 11/1966 Keenan ................................... .. 102/49
`3,384,016
`5/1968 Blanchard.
`3,437,285
`4/1969 Manfredi et a1, _____________________ __ 244/172
`3,534,686 10/1970 Watson ........ ..
`.. 102/378
`3,606,212
`9/1971 Pame
`-- 244/160
`3,325,225 lé?gg Eagle‘ {"1
`243x553
`3’964’698 @1976 E316 a‘
`' 244/100 A
`4,265,416
`Jackson et a1'
`~~~~ " 244/2
`4,410,151 10/1983 Héppner et a1_ __
`244/63
`4,678,141
`7/1987 Sarrantonio ............................... .. 244/2
`
`4,744,529
`
`5/1988 Clarke ............................... .. 244/114 R
`_
`1/1989 Ba“? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- 244/158
`4,796,839
`4,884,770 12/1989 Marim
`5,090,642
`2/1992 Saikeld .............................. .. 244/158 R
`5,129,602
`7/1992 Leonard
`244/172
`5,143,327
`9/1992 Martin ............................... .. 244/158 R
`5,163,640 11/1992 Altobelli ............................... .. 244/164
`5,217,188
`6/1993 Thole et a1. ...................... .. 244/158 R
`5,295,642
`3/1994 PH'IIIICI ...................................... .. 244/2
`5,568,901 10/1996 Stlennon ................................. .. 244/63
`5,626,310
`5/1997 Kelly ................................. .. 244/158R
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 2 of 49
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
`
`Sheet 1 0f 26
`
`5,927,653
`
`1
`
`454
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 3 of 49
`
`

`

`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 4 of 49
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
`
`Sheet 3 0f 26
`
`5,927,653
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 5 of 49
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
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`Sheet 4 0f 26
`
`5,927,653
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 6 of 49
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
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`Sheet 5 0f 26
`
`5,927,653
`
`Hg. 5
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 7 of 49
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
`
`Sheet 6 0f 26
`
`5,927,653
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 8 of 49
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
`
`Sheet 7 0f 26
`
`5,927,653
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 9 of 49
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
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`Sheet 8 0f 26
`
`5,927,653
`
`102/210
`,/
`104/220
`
`'
`
`1
`
`f ""
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`j
`
`7Z/*40/150
`
`,/—100
`
`I 72
`
`110
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`114
`
`114
`
`36
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 10 of 49
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
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`Sheet 9 0f 26
`
`5,927,653
`
`732
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 11 of 49
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`

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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
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`Sheet 10 0f 26
`
`5,927,653
`
`I
`
`74 £56
`
`A
`
`CB
`
`754
`148
`
`150
`
`I60 jg 95
`/99
`
`55
`
`145
`
`$767
`
`769
`
`52
`
`750
`
`I57
`
`65
`
`80 I57
`
`75
`
`I56
`
`I48
`
`752
`
`754
`
`Ag. 1 0
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 12 of 49
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
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`Sheet 11 0f 26
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`5,927,653
`
`740
`
`I94
`
`Fzlg. 11
`
`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
`Exhibit 1106
`Page 13 of 49
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
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`Sheet 12 0f 26
`
`5,927,653
`
`208
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`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
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`Page 14 of 49
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
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`5,927,653
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`gm.
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`NRrl
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`Em
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`N QM
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`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
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`Sheet 16 0f 26
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`5,927,653
`
`FLIGHT CONTROL
`COMPUTER
`SYSTEM
`(ELECTRONICS)
`
`LRU
`
`2
`592
`
`PROPULSTON $500
`LRU
`
`STRUCTURES $502
`LRU
`
`LANDING
`LRU
`
`$504
`
`(MOS
`
`GROUND
`SUPPORT $506
`‘——— COMPUTER
`
`Flg. 16
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`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
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`Sheet 17 0f 26
`
`5,927,653
`
`542
`
`T247Osec
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`544
`
`mg. 17
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`Space Exploration Technologies; NEW PETITION
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`Page 19 of 49
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 27, 1999
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`Sheet 18 0f 26
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`5,927,653
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`E2; 5 5a
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`a :55 3
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`.2; .P
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`2 .3
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