Suspended Cable Rocket Recovery on a Semisubmersible Vessel
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost associated with single-use rockets for space missions and the need for improved systems to return reusable rockets to earth for reuse on multiple missions, without the need for heavy landing gear.
Innovation Solution
A semisubmersible vessel system with supports, towers, cables, and straps is used to receive and stabilize descending rockets, allowing for efficient rotation and positioning onto a ship or land-based transport, utilizing lighter weight boom arms and a deballasting system to manage vessel draft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If heavy landing gear is used for rocket landing, then the rocket can be stabilized upon landing, but the weight of the rocket system increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical landing gear system with a water-based cushioning system. The rocket lands on a body of water which naturally provides shock absorption and stabilization, eliminating the need for heavy mechanical landing gear. The water surface acts as a compliant landing surface that reduces impact forces without requiring additional structural weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes hydraulic principles by employing water as the primary cushioning medium. The water body provides hydraulic damping to absorb landing impacts and stabilize the rocket. This hydraulic approach replaces solid mechanical shock absorbers with a fluid-based system that is lighter and more effective at energy dissipation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional heavy landing gear is used, then the rocket can be returned to base, but the cost of rocket systems remains high due to the weight and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the landing gear system entirely from the rocket design. Instead of integrating heavy mechanical landing gear into the rocket structure, the invention separates the landing function and implements it externally using water-based cushioning and external support structures. This extraction eliminates the weight and complexity burden from the reusable rocket system.
Solution Approach 2:
The water-based landing system serves multiple functions: it provides shock absorption, stabilization, and a pathway for rocket recovery. The same water body can be used repeatedly for multiple rocket landings, making the system universally applicable and cost-effective for reusable rocket programs without requiring specialized heavy equipment for each landing event.
3Speed
If heavy landing gear is installed on the rocket, then the rocket can land vertically, but the time required to stabilize and reorient the rocket increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates an equipotential landing environment by using water to provide uniform support and buoyancy forces on the rocket. The water surface provides consistent upward force distribution that naturally stabilizes the rocket without requiring complex active control systems or heavy mechanical stabilization equipment, enabling faster reorientation.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for receiving a descending rocket, which may be at sea. The rocket may descend vertically with the nose higher than the nozzle. The rocket body may be angled as it descends. A boom arm with hooks may extend at an angle to the rocket body to engage a cable suspended by a semisubmersible platform at sea. The platform may include a dampened cable and lateral straps for securing and rotating the rocket into a horizontal orientation. The platform may receive a ship and purge water to elevate the platform for placing the horizontal rocket onto the ship.