Roadway for decelerating and/or accelerating a vehicle including an aircraft

1. A roadway upon which a vehicle travels, the roadway comprising:

a movable surface extending in a direction of the vehicle's travel; and

potential energy storage means operatively connected to the movable surface for converting a kinetic energy of the vehicle into potential energy upon movement of the movable surface thereby slowing the vehicle;

wherein the potential energy storage means comprises:

one or more spring elements operatively connected to the movable surface such that movement of the movable surface deforms the one or more spring elements into a deformed state to store potential energy therein; and

one or more braking elements for maintaining the one or more spring elements in the deformed state such that the stored potential energy in the one or more spring elements is not substantially transferred back to the vehicle.

2. The roadway of claim 1 , wherein the movable surface comprises a plurality of movable panels.

3. The roadway of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of movable panels comprises:

one or more transition panels located at a portion of the movable surface first encountered by the vehicle, the one or more transition panels being angled with respect to a fixed surface; and

horizontal panels substantially having no angle with respect to the fixed surface.

4. The roadway of claim 3 , further comprising a linking element disposed between adjacent panels in the plurality of movable panels for linking the adjacent panels together while permitting relative motion between the adjacent panels.

5. The roadway of claim 4 , wherein the linking element comprises one or more elastic elements connected at opposite ends of the adjacent panels.

6. The roadway of claim 4 , wherein the linking element comprises one or more hinges connected at opposite ends of the adjacent panels.

7. The roadway of claim 1 , wherein the movable surface comprises one or more flexible contiguous belts.

8. The roadway of claim 1 , wherein the one or more spring elements are compression springs.

9. The roadway of claim 1 , further comprising means for remotely controlling a characteristic of the one or more spring elements.

10. The roadway of claim 1 , wherein the one or more braking elements are mechanical brakes actuated by a braking force.

11. The roadway of claim 1 , further comprising means for remotely controlling the one or more braking elements to selectively maintain and release the one or more spring elements in and from its deformed state.

12. The roadway of claim 1 , further comprising a motion constraint means for constraining a movement of the movable surface in at least one degree of freedom.

13. The roadway of claim 12 , wherein the motion constraint means is a mechanical linkage.

14. The roadway of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is an aircraft and the movable surface is at least a portion of a runway.

15. A method for slowing a vehicle upon a roadway, the method comprising:

providing a movable surface upon which the vehicle travels;

converting a kinetic energy of the vehicle into potential energy upon movement of the vehicle over the movable surface; and

storing the potential energy in the movable surface to thereby slow the vehicle;

wherein the converting comprises deforming one or more spring elements operatively connected to the movable surface into a deformed state and wherein the storing comprises maintaining the one or more spring elements in the deformed state such that the stored potential energy in the one or more spring elements is not substantially transferred back to the vehicle.