An inflatable bladder is placed between the wall of an aircraft inlet duct nd the liquid fuel to reduce the potential damage caused by hydrodynamic ram effects from a projectile penetrating the fuel tank. The inflatable bladder is inflated by a regulated gas source prior to combat. The inflatable bladder may be formed as a double layered section of a rubber bladder fuel cell type fuel tank, or an inflatable bladder may be bonded to the inner surface of an integral fuel tank wall.

Greatly reduced cost of extraterrestrial transporation of strong items and materials is obtained through the use of impact into a crash-capturing-containing facility for deceleration. Cargoes from both the Earth and Moon can be cheaply crash-transported to a low earth orbit crash-load-capturing-satellite so that the satellite maintains a somewhat constant low earth orbit. By crash-capturing only lunar materials, the crash-containing satellite can also become a cargo-transporting satellite that t…

A drive mechanism for power boats having an inboard motor and a stern drive propeller mounting. The device includes a gimbaled propeller shaft housing located outboard of the transom. A gear pair mounted within the propeller shaft housing provides a lower propeller shaft relative to the hull of the boat without requiring a greater propeller shaft angle relative to the hull and without requiring a lowered inboard motor position.

One or more spinning flywheels are adapted to despin or partially despin a rotating mass such as a satellite and to convert the rotational energy into heat or electrical energy. The flywheels have one degree of freedom, parallel to the satellite, spin axis. This one degree of freedom allows the flywheel to precess in the manner of a gyroscope. As the flywheel precesses it turns a shaft which drives an electrical generator which produces electrical power that can be taken out of the despin device…

A method of applying and controlling vortex lift to a unique high-lift airfoil (29) is described wherein the planform of the airfoil (29) comprises a swept-forward outer panel (31) and a swept-aft or unswept inboard panel (33). A leading edge vortex (37) is formed on (31) and attached flow is maintained on (33). The attached flow on (33) causes the vortex (37) of the airfoil (29) to turn downstream and also induces axial flow along axis of vortex (37). Both of these results serve to delay vortex…

An aircraft having a rotatively driven blade cooperating with an electrochemical power system for operating an electric drive system. The blade provides cooling heat transfer relative to the lithium/peroxide fuel system effecting desirable separation of the lithium-hydroxide monohydrate in a suitable filter/plenum provided as a portion of the power system. In one form, the cooling is effected by disposing a heat transfer portion of the power system in the path of air flow generated by the propul…

An adjustable support assembly for an aircraft leading edge guide track. The support assembly includes an upper portion pivotally connected to the guide track, and a threaded shaft having a rotatable member threadably engaged thereto which extends through the top of a trunnion housing. The rotatable member includes a shoulder portion which is disposed beneath the trunnion housing, and which is engaged by a wedge member therebelow to support the slat track via the shaft. Rotation of the rotatable…

An orbiting satellite system includes an asymmetrically deployed antenna and two deployable solar cell arrays. The solar cell arrays are deployed to a location which compensates for the asymmetry of the antenna so that the resulting station keeping thruster torques balance. Also, the system surfaces may be configured and the arrays so deployed to balance solar pressure torques on the system.

A ship is equipped with a skeletonized bow projecting forwardly from the hull and comprising a trussed frame from which generally parallel corrosion-resistant cables extend from an elevation above water level to the level of the bottom of the hull. In the preferred arrangement, this frame carries individually powered ice cutting saws in an array materially wider than the ship, the saws being mounted for vertical and lateral tilting adjustment responsive to automatically functioning leveling devi…

Hatch closure consisting of a series of uniform closure elements. Each closure element has, fastened to each end thereof, a linkage member so designed that, pursuant to rolling back, the weight of the rolled back closure portion rests on the linkage members and their supports, and not on the body or gaskets of the closure elements.