IMPULSE SOLAR ROCKET ENGINE INSTALLATION Russian patent published in 2003 - IPC

FIELD: space vehicles. SUBSTANCE: invention can be used in cryogenic stages for injecting to orbit space vehicles from near-earth orbits to geostationary, geotransfer and interplanetary orbits, and also as ecologically clean installations of orbital and interplanetary space craft and manned orbital stations requiring maintaining of orbital altitude and also to supply water and oxygen. Proposed solar rocket engine installation of impulse action contains solar battery, tank with water, water pump, electrolyzer, tanks with gaseous components of propellant, hydrogen heater and combustion chamber with pneumohydraulic devices. Introduced additionally into installation are gas-liquid separators of hydrogen and oxygen and electrolyte circulation pumps. Electrolyzer contains hydrogen and oxygen circuits of electrolyte circulation, each formed by main lines connecting outlets of all hydrogen and oxygen cells of electrolyzer with inlets of gas-liquid separators of hydrogen and oxygen, respectively. Outlets of gas0liquid separators of hydrogen and oxygen, as to electrolyte, are connected through corresponding circulation pumps with inlets of electrolyzer cells, outlets of gas-liquid separators of hydrogen and oxygen, as to gases being connected to corresponding tanks with gaseous components of propellant, capillary intake device being placed in water tank. Invention makes it possible to create serviceable rocket engine installation using solar energy and water taken aboard to obtain highly effective rocket propellant, improve fire and explosion safety of engine installation, provide delivery of water from tank without gas inclusions under weightlessness conditions and maneuvers of space craft. EFFECT: enlarged operating capabilities. 1 dwg