Orientation control system for space vehicles and ballistic missiles

Claim 1

AN ORIENTATION SYSTEM FOR SPACE VEHICLES, MISSILES, AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A BODY HAVING X, Y, AND Z AXES ON RECTANGULAR CARTESIAN CO-ORDINATES, AND A PLURALITY OF REACTION-THRUST ORIENTATION DEVICES MOUNTED ON THE EXTERIOR OF SAID BODY AND CAPABLE OF SELECTIVELY EXERTING REACTION THRUST PARALLEL TO EACH OF SAID AXES, EACH OF SAID ORIENTATION DEVICES COMPRISING A CONCATENATED SERIES OF INDIVIDUAL REACTION ENGINES SPACED ALONG A FLEXIBLE TAPE MEMBER AND BONDED THERETO, EACH OF SAID ENGINES HAVING A HOUSING FORMED OF RELATIVELY RIGID MATERIAL OF GENERALLY SEMICYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION AND HAVING A PROPELLANT CHARGE DISPOSED THEREIN AND HAVING AN EXHAUST NOZZLE, SAID TAPE MEMBER HAVING A DISCHARGE APERTURE THERETHROUGH CONGRUENT WITH EACH OF SAID NOZZLE, TRANSPORTING MEANS FOR SAID CONCATENATED SERIES INCLUDING A STEPPER MOTOR HAVING AN OUTPUT DRIVE SHAFT, A DRIVE WHEEL MOUNTED ON SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY SEMICYCLINDRICAL CAVITIES DISPOSED AROUND THE PERIPHERY THEREOF AND SPACED APART CONGRUENTLY WITH THE SPACING OF SAID ENGINES ALONG SAID TAPE, EACH OF SAID CAVITIES BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH ONE OF SAID ENGINES, THE TRANSPORTING MEANS OF EACH OF SAID ORIENTATION DEVICES HAVING A PLURALITY OF FIRING POSITIONS, SAID MOTOR AND SAID DRIVE WHEEL BEING INTERMITTENTLY ROTATABLE IN DISCRETE PULSES PROVIDING PRECISE ANGULAR INCREMENTS OF ROTATION FOR SERIALLY TRANSPORTING SAID ENGINES TO A SELECTED ONE OF SAID FIRING POSITIONS, EACH OF SAID ENGINES HAVING DISPOSED THEREIN ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE MEANS FOR IGNITING SAID PROPELLANT CHARGE AND HAVING A PAIR OF ELECTRICAL LEADS EXTENDING FROM SAID HOUSING AND CONNECTED ELECTRICALLY WITH SAID RESISTANCE MEANS, EACH OF SAID ORIENTATION DEVICES HAVING A PAIR OF ELECTRICAL CONTACTS DISPOSED AT EACH OF SAID FIRING POSITIONS MAKING ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH SAID ENGINE LEADS FOR COMPLETING AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT TO EACH OF SAID ENGINES SERIALLY AT SAID SELECTED FIRING POSITION.