The Aerospace Corporation

Other

Brian Blaise Brady

Eric Joseph Nemanick

John D DeSain

Jeffrey Louis Hall

Andrew C Cortopassi

Andrea G Hsu

John H Schilling

Teresa A Moore

Robert B Driscoll

James Hart Clemmons

Thomas Jay Curtiss

John Desain

Solid rocket motors are provided herein. In certain embodiments, a solid rocket motor includes a housing containing thin layers of fuel and thin layers of an inert oxidizer, separated by a thin nonconductive layer. The housing has a nozzle at the end for gas release and channeling. Prior to use, the inert oxidizer is activated by electrochemical oxidation which can generate an active oxidizer and additional fuel. Ignition of the oxidizer and fuel can be triggered whereby the contents of the housing can ignite, generating hot gasses to be channeled out through the nozzle to generate thrust. Replacing current state solid rocket motors with embodiments described herein can improve cost, safety and increase capability. The disclosed embodiments can be safe to transport, store, and handle. Additionally, there can be no moving parts unlike hybrid or liquid rocket motors.

Electrochemical rocket motor

A de-orbiting system for a space vehicle may include one or more lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries configured to release hot gases to be used for thrusting during de-orbiting of the apparatus. The system may also include one or more heaters surrounding each of the one or more Li-ion batteries, which are configured to send each of the one or more Li-ion batteries into a thermal runaway. The thermal runaway causes the one or more Li-ion batteries to release stored electrochemical energy within each of the one or more Li-ion batteries.

Lithium ion battery de-orbiter

A process for growing carbon nanotubes includes making carbon nanotubes by flowing methane into a tube. The process also includes increasing pressure to a high predefined pressure for the carbon nanotubes and maintaining temperature at a low predefined temperature for the carbon nanotubes. The high pressure and low temperature produce carbon nanotubes within minutes.

Carbon nanotube growth method

A windowless microbolometer for use in terrestrial applications and non-terrestrial applications is provided. The windowless microbolometer array may interact with a flow of gas such that a pixel-based image of the gas is generated when the flow of gas impinges upon the windowless microbolometer array. The windowless microbolometer array may also interact with a molecular beam to provide information related to density, shape, and propagation of the molecular beam.

Windowless microbolometer array

An apparatus for igniting a larger rocket motor is provided. The apparatus may be a smaller rocket motor that can be ignited hypergolically, when a pressurized oxidizer contacts hypergolic fuel grains of the smaller rocket motor. The hypergolic ignition causes the larger rocket motor to be ignited. The hypergolic ignition of the smaller rocket motor may be stopped after the larger rocket motor is ignited, and the remaining hypergolic fuel grains and the pressurized oxidizer can be reserved for reigniting the larger rocket motor at a later time.

Hypergolic hybrid motor igniter

A fuel injector system for combustion engines and motors, such as pulsed bipropellant thrusters, includes noncircular fuel and oxidizer injectors at the ends of respective dribble channels for controlling the mixture ratio of the propellants passing into a combustion chambers for maintaining a desire or ideal mixture ratio as determined by the cross-sectional area of the injectors well suited for pulse combustion fuel injector systems.

Noncircular transient fluid fuel injector control channels in propellant injector combustion systems

A trifluoroidomethane mixture with an inert atmospheric buoyant gas such as helium form a fire suppressant gas that is used to stop the combustion of internal combustion engines of motor vehicles to stop the motor vehicles. The gas is contained for delivery to the motor vehicle. The suppressant gas can be used by law enforcement agencies to stop fleeing motor vehicles. The gas can be contained in a shell for dropping from freeway overpasses and helicopters. The gas can be dispersed from road side nozzles to stop fleeing vehicles, such as those running border, ports and custom facilities during unlawful smuggling.

Growing community of inventors

Seal Beach, CA, United States of America

Brian Blaise Brady