US 12,467,421 B2
Omnivorous solar thermal thruster, cooling systems, and thermal energy transfer in rockets
Joel C. Sercel, Lake View Terrace, CA (US); Philip J. Wahl, Altadena, CA (US); Conrad T. Jensen, Altadena, CA (US); James G. Small, Sonoita, AZ (US); Benjamin G. Workinger, Chattanooga, TN (US); and Samuel Daugherty-Saunders, Claremont, CA (US)
Assigned to Trans Astronautica Corporation, Lake View Terrace, CA (US)
Filed by Trans Astronautica Corporation, Lake View Terrace, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 20, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/749,428.
Application 18/749,428 is a continuation of application No. 17/813,312, filed on Jul. 18, 2022, granted, now 12,025,078.
Application 17/813,312 is a continuation of application No. 17/240,750, filed on Apr. 26, 2021, granted, now 11,391,246, issued on Jul. 19, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/160,578, filed on Mar. 12, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/159,957, filed on Mar. 11, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/055,231, filed on Jul. 22, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/016,186, filed on Apr. 27, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2025/0052211 A1, Feb. 13, 2025
Int. Cl. F02K 9/64 (2006.01); B64G 1/40 (2006.01); B64G 1/44 (2006.01); F02K 9/42 (2006.01); F02K 9/44 (2006.01); F02K 9/60 (2006.01); F03H 99/00 (2009.01); F24S 20/20 (2018.01); F24S 23/30 (2018.01); F24S 23/70 (2018.01); F24S 70/16 (2018.01)
CPC F02K 9/64 (2013.01) [B64G 1/401 (2013.01); B64G 1/402 (2013.01); B64G 1/446 (2013.01); F02K 9/42 (2013.01); F02K 9/44 (2013.01); F02K 9/60 (2013.01); F03H 99/00 (2013.01); F24S 20/20 (2018.05); F24S 23/30 (2018.05); F24S 23/70 (2018.05); F24S 70/16 (2018.05); F24S 2023/832 (2018.05)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of starting up a solar thermal rocket engine, comprising:
providing a gaseous propellant to the solar thermal rocket engine via one or more propellant channels;
introducing a liquid propellant to the solar thermal rocket engine via the one or more propellant channels; and
gradually reducing a gas-to-liquid propellant ratio provided to the solar thermal rocket engine via the one or more propellant channels to ensure that the solar thermal rocket engine is maintained in an instantaneous steady state.