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United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Star Technology and Research, Inc.

Jerome Pearson

Joseph A Carroll

Eugene Levin

A long endurance powered aircraft includes a fuselage, a propeller coupled to the fuselage, a wing coupled to the fuselage, and an energy storage system disposed within the fuselage. The wing includes an adjustable surface area including solar cells configured to collect incident solar energy and convert the collected incident solar energy to electrical energy for powering the aircraft during daylight flight. The energy storage system is configured to convert excess electrical energy converted from collected incident solar energy to chemical energy, store the chemical energy, and convert the stored chemical energy to electrical energy for powering the aircraft during night flight.

Long endurance aircraft

A processing and delivery system is in space around a celestial body having a magnetic field. The system includes at least one facility having supplies and configured for in-space recycling and manufacturing to produce processed objects utilizing space debris objects and the supplies. The system includes at least one space vehicle configured to deliver the space debris objects from their orbits to the at least one facility using electrodynamic propulsion. The system includes at least one space vehicle configured to deliver new supplies to the at least one facility from other orbits using electrodynamic propulsion. The system includes at least one space vehicle configured to deliver the processed objects from the at least one facility to their destination orbits using electrodynamic propulsion.

In-space processing and delivery system

A lifting body is suspended from a satellite by a long tether extending downwardly into the atmosphere of a planet about which the satellite is orbiting. The lifting body is oriented so as to provide a horizontal force upon the satellite through the tether tension, thereby changing the orbital plane of the satellite. The tether is wound on a reel in the satellite, which may be the NASA Space Shuttle, and the lifting body may be repeatedly deployed and retrieved. The lifting body is provided with remotely controlled aerodynamic surfaces to control its angle of attack.

Method and apparatus for orbital plane changing

An apparatus for determining the mass of an unknown object in a zero gravity environment having an impact plate connected at one end of a spring with the other end connected to an object of known mass, such as a space vehicle. A movement of the impact plate acts to close a switch which is again opened at the end of the impact time. With the spring constant k and the known mass m the mass M of the unknown object can be determined from the duration of impact t by using the expression ##EQU1##

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Mount Pleasant, SC, United States of America

Jerome Pearson