Landing pad and in-flight methods of manufacturing a landing pad

Abstract

Described herein is a method of constructing a landing pad using a rocket engine while in-flight. Among other benefits, this method can reduce ejecta that otherwise would occur during landing on an unimproved surface. While a spacecraft is hovering over an unimproved surface, the spacecraft can inject particles into its rocket engine, after which the particles absorb heat from the engine and are projected at ballistic speeds toward the unimproved surface to create a landing pad. After constructing the landing pad and waiting for the landing pad to cool, the spacecraft can land on the landing pad. Also described herein are landing pads created from such particles as they impact the surface in a disc splat mode into the unimproved surface.

Description

BACKGROUNDTechnical Field[0001]The present application relates to manufacturing coatings on unimproved surfaces using a rocket engine.Description of Related Art[0002]Landing a spacecraft on a dusty, unimproved surface made of soil and rocks (“regolith”) of the Earth's moon, Mars, an asteroid or elsewhere can be difficult as the gas from the spacecraft's engine plume creates a dangerous blast of ejecta. Ejecta is the material dislocated from the surface by the plume including soil, regolith, rocks, and dust. Not only does the gas plume create the ejecta, but it also craters through the regolith surface, further creating additional ejecta and blasting the landing vehicle. The plume of a large spacecraft can even send lunar regolith into lunar orbit. This puts orbiting vehicles in danger, with projections reaching 10,000 impacts per square meter of surface area when the ejecta crosses orbital paths. The ejecta, moving at up to 6,000 meters per second differential velocity to the spacec...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a way to safely and efficiently land on unimproved surfaces such as moons, comets, and planets. This is done by creating a landing pad just before landing, using a process called in-flight landing pad construction. This invention solves the problem of dust and damage caused by plumes and engines during space travel. The method includes injecting particles into the landing pad to resist damage from plume impingement, and a sensor helps control the cooling rate of the landing pad. The resulting landing pad is more durable and consistent, even on unimproved surfaces.

Problems solved by technology

Landing a spacecraft on a dusty, unimproved surface made of soil and rocks (“regolith”) of the Earth's moon, Mars, an asteroid or elsewhere can be difficult as the gas from the spacecraft's engine plume creates a dangerous blast of ejecta.

Not only does the gas plume create the ejecta, but it also craters through the regolith surface, further creating additional ejecta and blasting the landing vehicle.

This puts orbiting vehicles in danger, with projections reaching 10,000 impacts per square meter of surface area when the ejecta crosses orbital paths.

The ejecta, moving at up to 6,000 meters per second differential velocity to the spacecraft would cause tremendous damage.

However, in order to construct a landing pad on a moon or a foreign surface, there are issues of safely getting the manufacturing equipment and materials to the surface in the first place in order to construct the landing pad and then bringing or mining materials to use.

Using existing technologies, the cost to construct this type of landing pad would likely exceed 120 million US dollars on the Moon and stretch into the billions of dollars for Mars.

Damage from the ejecta in this scenario is probable, if not inevitable.

As an example of damage on Mars, a weather instrument on the Curiosity rover was damaged on landing, likely from rocks and debris blown up onto the deck from the landing rockets.

With vertical landing vertical takeoff (VTVL) spacecraft, jets, and the like, downward facing engines and their plumes can create dust storms in the absence of a landing pad as well as huge cratering and spalling on failed landing pads.

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