The Boeing Company

Kevin Swenson

Brian T Vaniman

Martin Edward Lozano

Henry Rodriguez, Jr

Stuart R Kobata

Brian Vaniman

Henry Rodriguez Jr

Concurrent rocket engine pre-conditioning and tank filling is disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes an inlet valve to supply a rocket propellant tank that is associated with a rocket engine with rocket propellant, and a flow director to direct at least a portion of a flow of the rocket propellant from the inlet valve to a chill line of the rocket engine to thermally condition the rocket engine as the rocket propellant tank is being filled with the rocket propellant.

Concurrent rocket engine pre-conditioning and tank loading

A system for increasing the efficiency of heating cryogenic fluid flowing in a downstream direction through a fluid conduit includes a heating mechanism, an upstream valve, a downstream valve, and a controller. The heating mechanism heats the cryogenic fluid, resulting in conversion of a portion of the cryogenic fluid into a buoyant flow moving in an upstream direction. The upstream valve is located upstream of the heating mechanism and controls an upstream-valve mass flow rate of the cryogenic fluid. The downstream valve is located downstream of the heating mechanism and controls a downstream-valve mass flow rate of the cryogenic fluid. The controller adjusts the upstream valve to a choked position at which: an upstream-valve non-buoyant mass flow rate substantially matches the downstream-valve mass flow rate, and the upstream valve at least partially blocks the buoyant flow from flowing in the upstream direction past the upstream valve.

System and method for increasing the efficiency of heating a cryogenic fluid flowing through a conduit

A system and method for collecting test data from a unit under test (UUT) in a multi-gravity environment is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises determining a desired accelerative load profile for the UUT, determining the commanded flight profile of a flight vehicle at least in part from the desired accelerative load profile and a predicted dynamic response of the flight vehicle having the UUT mounted thereto to the commanded flight profile, commanding the flight vehicle having the UUT mounted thereto to fly the determined flight profile, and collecting the test data using a data acquisition system communicatively coupled to the UUT.

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Long Beach, CA, United States of America

Kevin Swenson