The Boeing Company

Thomas Russell Smith

Kevin Bowcutt

Matthew J Roode

Todd Magee

Eric Unger

Jeffrey J Cronick

James K Wechsler

Jon J Carpenter

Jennifer L Green

Brian R Lindley

Jason S Tyll

Florin Girlea

Casey Lyn Madsen

John C Leylegian

Joseph Anthony Alifano

Andrew Robertson

Angel M Espinosa

Daniel J Farrell

Randy S M Chue

Kevin Gerald Bowcutt

Aircraft

A hypersonic vehicle has a body, a control surface, and a hypersonic air-breathing engine. The engine includes a converging inlet having a fixed cowling having a first cross-sectional area and a throat having a second cross-sectional area. A flow restrictor is movable between a stowed position and a fully deployed position. The flow restrictor has a third cross-sectional area that is smaller than the first cross-sectional area, such that a consistent gap is formed between a periphery of the flow restrictor and an inner surface of the cowling with the flow restrictor in the fully deployed position and the difference between the first cross-sectional area and the third cross-sectional area is approximately equal to the second cross-sectional area.

Inlet flow restrictor

A Marman clamp is disclosed. The Marman clamp includes a release mechanism with either pins or tubes formed with a shape memory alloy. The release mechanism opens and closes the clamp depending on the temperature of the pins or tubes. The temperature of the pins or tubes may be based on whether a space vehicle including the clamp is in a direct line of sight of radiation from the sun. Alternatively, a heat source may control the temperature of the pins or tubes. The Marman clamp may also open and close as a result of an independent force applied to the release mechanism.

Marman clamp with a shape memory alloy actuator

A vehicle comprises a first stage supersonic aircraft, and a second stage hypersonic aircraft. The second stage aircraft is in tandem with the first stage aircraft.

First and second stage aircraft coupled in tandem

Hypersonic inlet systems and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, an inlet for an airbreathing propulsion system includes an inboard surface at least partially shaped to conform to a plurality of streamline-traces of a design flowfield approaching an aperture, an outboard surface spaced apart from the inboard surface, an upper surface extending between the inboard and outboard surfaces, and a lower surface extending between the inboard and outboard surfaces, wherein leading edges of the inboard, outboard, upper, and lower surfaces cooperatively define the aperture.

Hypersonic inlet systems and methods

Methods, aircraft, and engine nacelles are disclosed. A wing leading edge of a planform is superimposed on a wing shockwave that extends in a first direction from a shockwave apex toward the wing leading edge. A waverider shape is streamline traced between the wing leading edge and a trailing edge of the planform to form a waverider wing. A position of an engine inlet vertex relative to the waverider wing is identified. An inlet shockwave is projected from the inlet vertex in a second direction generally opposed to the first direction. The inlet shockwave intersects the wing shockwave. An inlet leading edge of an engine inlet includes a lower leading edge including a plurality of points where the inlet shockwave intersects the wing shockwave.

Integrated hypersonic inlet design

A returnable and reusable space vehicle including a main body separate from and releasably mounted to a booster rocket assembly. A crew compartment module is provided that is separate from and releasably mounted to the main body. A propellant system is operably coupled to the crew compartment module so as to propel the crew compartment module from the main body during an emergency procedure. An orientation control system is coupled to the propellant system such that the orientation control system maintains the crew compartment module in a predetermined attitude during the emergency procedure. A pair of aerodynamic lifting wings extend from the main body to provide aerodynamic lift the the main body to permit the main body to return from the orbit and land.

Crewed on-orbit, returnable, and reusable space vehicle

A returnable and reusable space vehicle including a main body separate from and releasably mounted to a booster rocket assembly. A crew compartment module is provided that is separate from and releasably mounted to the main body. A propellant system is operably coupled to the crew compartment module so as to propel the crew compartment module from the main body during an emergency procedure. An orientation control system is coupled to the propellant system such that the orientation control system maintains the crew compartment module in a predetermined attitude during the emergency procedure. A pair of aerodynamic lifting wings extend from the main body to provide aerodynamic lift to the main body to permit the main body to return from the orbit and land.

Growing community of inventors

Westminster, CA, United States of America

Thomas Russell Smith