Propellant supply system for rockets and the like

Claim 1

A FLUID PROPELLANT SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR A ROCKET ENGINE INCLUDING A COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND FLUID INJECTION MEANS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH THROUGH WHICH A FLUID PROPELLANT AND A FLUID OXIDANT ARE CONCURRENTLY DISCHARGED TO BURN IN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND DEVELOP SUFFICIENT THRUST TO PROPEL SAID ENGINE ALONG A COURSE COMPRISING; FIRST AND SECOND FLUID TRANSFER CHAMBERS SUPPORTED IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATIONSHIP FROM SAID ENGINE, EACH OF WHICH CHAMBERS HAVE A FLUID INLET FORMED THEREIN WITH THE PORTION OF SAID CHAMBERS SURROUNDING SAID INLETS DEFINING A SMOOTH SURFACE; FIRST AND SECOND FLUID PASSAGE MEANS CONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECOND TRANSFER CHAMBERS TO SAID FLUID INJECTION MEANS; FIRST AND SECOND PARALLEL ELONGATE PLATES THAT EXTEND PARALLEL TO AT LEAST THE INITIAL PORTION OF SAID COURSE SAID ENGINE WILL TRAVEL, SAID PLATES BEING IN LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND TRANSFER CHAMBERS RESPECTIVELY, SAID PLATES HAVING A NUMBER OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED FLUID DISCHARGE OPENINGS FORMED THEREIN, WITH SAID PORTS IN SAID FIRST PLATE BEING ADAPTED TO HAVE SAID PROPELLANT DISCHARGED THERETHROUGH WITH SAID PORTS IN SAID SECOND PLATE BEING ADAPTED TO HAVE SAID OXIDANT DISCHARGED THERETHROUGH, SAID FIRST AND SECOND PLATES BEING SLIDABLY AND SEALINGLY ENGAGED BY SAID FLAT SURFACES ON SAID FIRST AND SECOND TRANSFER CHAMBERS RESPECTIVELY; FIRST MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING SAID PROPELLANT TO SAID FIRST PORTS; SECOND MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING SAID FLUID OXIDANT TO SAID SECOND PORTS; FIRST AND SECOND VALVE MEANS FOR NORMALLY OBSTRUCTING DISCHARGE OF SAID PROPELLANT AND OXIDANT FROM SAID FIRST AND SECOND PORTS RESPECTIVELY; AND MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID FIRST AND SECOND VALVE MEANS TO CONCURRENTLY AND SEQUENTIALLY MOVE PORTIONS THEREOF FROM SAID OBSTRUCTING POSITIONS TO NON-OBSTRUCTING POSITIONS ONLY WHEN SAID FLUID INLETS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CHAMBERS ARE IN COMMUNICATION THEREWITH AS SAID ROCKET ENGINE MOVES RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND PLATES; AND MEANS FOR RETURNING SAID PORTIONS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND VALVE MEANS THAT HAVE MOVED TO SAID NON-OBSTRUCTING POSITIONS INTO OBSTRUCTING POSITIONS AFTER SAID FIRST AND SECOND TRANSFER CHAMBERS HAVE TRAVELED THEREBY.