Rocket

Claim 1

A ROCKET VEHICLE FOR TRANSPORTING A PAYLOAD TO HIGH ALTITUDE AND EXPELLING THE PAYLOAD FROM THE ROCKET VEHICLE, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TUBULAR CASE HAVING A ROCKET MOTOR SECTION IN THE TRAILING END THEREOF AND A PARACHUTE SECTION ADJACENT THE LEADING END THEREOF, A NOSE CONE HAVING A REARWARDLY OPENING PAYLOAD HOUSING CHAMBER THEREIN BOUNDED AT THE REAR OF THE NOSE CONE BY AN AXIALLY ELONGATED ANNULAR OUTER WALL PORTION OF THE NOSE CONE AND A TRANSVERSE PAYLOAD BASE PLATE FORMING A REAR CLOSURE FOR THE PAYLOAD HOUSING CHAMBER, MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE OUTER WALL PORTION OF THE NOSE CONE WITH SAID BASE PLATE, SAID ROCKET MOTOR SECTION INCLUDING AN OUTER CYLINDRICAL SHELL AND A ROCKET MOTOR HOUSED THEREIN HAVING AN ELONGATED END-BURNING PROPELLANT GRAIN AND A TRANSVERSE HEAD CLOSURE AT THE FORWARD END OF THE ROCKET MOTOR SECTION FIXED TO SAID SHELL, SAID PARACHUTE SECTION INCLUDING AN OUTER CYLINDRICAL TUBULAR WALL CONFORMING TO THE DIAMETER OF SAID SHELL AND ALIGNED THEREWITH DEFINING WITH SAID HEAD CLOSURE A FORWARDLY OPENING CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER, A FORWARD CLOSURE FOR SAID PARACHUTE SECTION NORMALLY SECURED TO SAID OUTER CYLINDRICAL WALL BY FRANGIBLE CONNECTOR MEANS AND A FOLDED PARACHUTE AND A SURROUNDING INNER CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE FORMED OF AXIALLY SPLIT SECTIONS SLIDABLY FITTED WITH SAID OUTER CYLINDRICAL WALL, AN AXIALLY MOVABLE PISTON MEMBER SLIDABLY INTERFITTED WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID OUTER CYLINDRICAL WALL BETWEEN SAID SLEEVE AND SAID HEAD CLOSURE SPACED FROM THE LATTER TO DEFINE A PRESSURE CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, COUPLING MEANS CONNECTING SAID PAYLOAD BASE PLATE WITH SAID FORWARD CLOSURE AND SAID FORWARD CLOSURE WITH SAID PARACHUTE, GAS GENERATING MEANS FOR PRODUCING PRESSURE WITHIN SAID PRESSURE CHAMBER TO AXIALLY FORCE THE PISTON FORWARDLY AGAINST SAID PARACHUTE AND SAID SLEEVE AND FORCE THE LATTER AGAINST SAID FORWARD CLOSURE TO BREAK SAID FRANGIBLE CONNECTOR MEANS AND EXPEL THE SLEEVE AND FOLDED PARACHUTE AND FORWARD CLOSURE THROUGH THE FORWARD END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER, AND A LANYARD INTERCONNECTING SAID PISTON WITH SAID FIXED CLOSURE FOR LIMITING EXPULSION MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON TO A LIMIT POSITION NEAR THE FORWARD END OF SAID PARACHUTE SECTION AND HAVING A LENGTH TO ACCOMMODATE MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON TO SAID LIMIT POSITION.