Rocket engine-based payload transporter
A propulsion-based payload transporter (PPT) and methods of its operation are provided. The PPT may operate in a gravitational field such as that on the lunar surface. Via rocket engines that produce thrust, the PPT is configured to descend onto and over a payload to be moved. Once in position with respect to the payload, latches engage with the payload so as to secure the payload in a payload holding bay of the PPT. The rocket engines produce thrust with an exhaust plume that is angled away from the payload to avoid payload damage. The rocket engines, which are located at the sides of the payload holding bay, produce thrust to propel the PPT and the payload in a substantially horizontal trajectory with respect to gravity and toward a landing destination.
1 . A propulsion-based payload transporter comprising:
a spacecraft body;
three or more landing legs extending from a surface of the spacecraft body in a perpendicular direction or offset from the perpendicular direction by a first acute angle;
a payload holding bay partially enclosed by the spacecraft body and the three or more landing legs, wherein the payload holding bay has a central axis that is perpendicular to the surface of the spacecraft body;
rocket engines configured to independently produce a respective thrust and exhaust plume in a direction that is angled away from the payload holding bay by a second acute angle with respect to the central axis, wherein lower portions of the three or more landing legs are interposed between the rocket engines and the payload holding bay to protect a payload in the payload holding bay from the exhaust plumes; and
latches on the spacecraft body or on the three or more landing legs, wherein the latches are configured to engage or disengage with a payload that is in the payload holding bay.
2 . The propulsion-based payload transporter of claim 1 , wherein the latches are on the three or more landing legs, and are on sides of the three or more landing legs that face the payload holding bay.
3 . The propulsion-based payload transporter of claim 1 , wherein the latches are on the spacecraft body and are on a side of the spacecraft body that faces the payload holding bay.
4 . The propulsion-based payload transporter of claim 1 , wherein the first and the second acute angles range from zero to 20 degrees.
5 . The propulsion-based payload transporter of claim 1 , wherein the latches are on the spacecraft body and are configured to rotate from within the spacecraft body and into the payload holding bay where the latches are further configured to engage with the payload.
6 . The propulsion-based payload transporter of claim 1 , wherein the latches are on the three or more landing legs and are configured to rotate or protrude from within the three or more landing legs and into the payload holding bay where the latches are further configured to engage with the payload.
7 . The propulsion-based payload transporter of claim 1 , further comprising multiple sets of latches to engage or disengage with the payload, wherein the payload comprises multiple separable portions to be delivered to respective locations, and wherein the multiple sets of latches are configured to respectively engage or disengage with each of the multiple separable portions.
8 . The propulsion-based payload transporter of claim 1 , wherein each of the rocket engines are angularly fixed with respect to the landing legs.
9 . The propulsion-based payload transporter of claim 8 , wherein all of the rocket engines are configured to collectively propel the propulsion-based payload transporter in a curved trajectory in gravity based on which of the rocket engines are selected to produce the respective thrust and exhaust plume.
10 . The propulsion-based payload transporter of claim 1 , further comprising a laser telemeter to detect, relative to the payload holding bay, a position of the payload that is in or out of the payload holding bay.
11 . A method of operating a propulsion-based payload transporter (PPT) having landing legs, the method comprising:
controllably descending onto and over a payload to be moved;
operating latches to engage with the payload so as to secure the payload in a payload holding bay of the PPT;
selectively operating one or more rocket engines to produce thrust and an exhaust plume so as to ascend with the payload, wherein the one or more rocket engines are located at the sides of the payload holding bay, wherein the direction of the exhaust plume from each of the one or more rocket engines is at an acute angle away from the payload, and wherein landing legs of the PPT are positioned to shield the payload in the payload holding bay from the exhaust plumes during the ascending; and
further selectively operating the one or more rocket engines to produce thrust so as to fly with the payload in a substantially horizontal trajectory with respect to gravity and toward a landing destination while maintaining shielding of the payload holding bay from the exhaust plumes.
12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
further selectively operating the one or more rocket engines to produce thrust so as to descend from the substantially horizontal trajectory toward the landing destination.
13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
controllably descending onto the landing destination;
operating the latches to disengage with the payload so as to release the payload from the payload holding bay; and
selectively operating the one or more rocket engines to produce thrust so as to ascend without the payload.
14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the payload comprises multiple separable portions, and wherein the method further comprises:
controllably descending onto the landing destination;
operating the latches to disengage with one of the multiple separable portions of the payload so as to i) release the one of the multiple separable portions from the payload holding bay and ii) retain other ones of the multiple separable portions; and
selectively operating the one or more rocket engines to produce thrust so as to fly in a substantially horizontal trajectory with respect to gravity and toward a second landing destination to deliver the other ones of the multiple separable portions.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the multiple separable portions are maintained in the payload holding bay in a stacked configuration.
16 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
controllably descending onto the landing destination, wherein the landing destination includes an additional payload;
operating additional latches to engage with the additional payload so as to secure the additional payload in the payload holding bay; and
selectively operating the one or more rocket engines to produce thrust so as to fly in a substantially horizontal trajectory with respect to gravity and toward a third landing destination.
17 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
retrieving from memory map information that indicates a relative elevation of the landing destination;
based at least in part on the relative elevation of the landing destination, determining when to selectively activate the one or more rocket engines to produce thrust so as to fly in the substantially horizontal trajectory and toward the landing destination.
18 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising using sonar to measure positions of the payload.
19 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the payload is a transport container configured to hold contents, and wherein the transport container includes hardware that corresponds to the latches and enables the latches to engage with the transport container.
20 . The method of claim 11 , wherein further selectively operating the one or more rocket engines to produce thrust so as to fly in the substantially horizontal trajectory comprises operating the one or more rocket engines to produce thrust so as to rotate the PPT about a substantially horizontal axis of the PPT.