Control apparatus

Claim 3

IN COMBINATION WITH AN AERODYNAMICALLY UNSTABLE VEHICLE WHICH IS TO INITIALLY RISE GENERALLY VERTICALLY FROM AN ANGULARLY MOVABLE LAUNCHER ON THE SURFACE OF A ROTATING PLANETARY BODY, FOR A PREDETERMINED INTERVAL, AND TO SUBSEQUENTLY PITCH-OVER TOWARD THE BODY THROUGH A PREDETERMINED ANGLE OF GENERALLY NINETY DEGREES; A PAIR OF GYROSCOPES EACH HAVING MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR INNER AND OUTER GIMBAL AXES AND MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR INNER GIMBAL AND SPIN AXES; MEANS MOUNTING SAID GYROSCOPES IN THE VEHICLE WITH SAID OUTER GIMBAL AXES ALIGNED WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID VEHICLE; MEANS INITIALLY POSITIONING SAID GYROSCOPES SO THAT THE DIHEDRAL ANGLE BETWEEN THE PLANES DEFINED RESPECTIVELY BY THE GIMBAL AXES OF SAID GYROSCOPES HAS A PREDETERMINED VALUE, AND THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE SPIN AXES AND THE LINE OF INTERSECTION OF SAID PLANES DEPART FROM AN ORTHOGONAL RELATIONSHIP BY THE ANGULAR DRIFT ANTICIPATED TO RESULT FROM THE ROTATION OF THE VEHICLE DURING SAID INTERVAL; MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY MODIFYING THE INITIAL POSITIONS OF SADI GYROSCOPES IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANGULAR MOVEMENT OF SAID LAUNCHER; MEANS FOR CAUSING INITIAL LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE FROM SAID LAUNCHER AND SIMULTANEOUS ROTATION OF THE VEHICLE ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF; MEANS FOR ARRESTING SAID ROTATION OF SAID VEHICLE AT THE END OF SADI INTERVAL; MEANS FOR POSITIONING THE VEHICLE IN A PREDETERMINED RELATIONSHIP TO THE PLANE DEFINED BY THE GIMBAL AXES OF ONE OF SAID GYROSCOPES; MEANS OPERABLE TO THEREAFTER CAUSE ROTATION OF SAID VEHICLE ABOUT AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PLANE; AND MEANS FOR THEREAFTER CONTROLLING THE ATTITUDE OF THE VEHICLE, ABOUT MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR AXES NORMAL TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXES, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ANGLES BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER GIMBALS OF BOTH SAID GYROSCOPES.

Claim 4

IN COMBINATION WITH AN AERODYNAMICALLY UNSTABLE VEHICLE WHICH IS TO INITIALLY RISE GENERALLY VERTICALLY FROM AN ANGULARLY MOVABLE LAUNCHER ON THE SURFACE OF A ROTATING PLANETARY BODY, FOR A PREDETERMINED INTERVAL, AND TO SUBSEQUENTLY PITCH-OVER TOWARD THE BODY THROUGH A PREDETERMINED ANGLE OF GENERALLY NINETY DEGREES; A PAIR OF GYROSCOPES EACH HAVING MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR INNER AND OUTER GIMBAL AXES AND MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR INNER GIMBAL AND SPIN AXES; MEANS MOUNTING SAID GYROSCOPES IN THE VEHICLE WITH SAID OUTER GIMBAL AXES ALIGNED WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID VEHICLE; MEANS INITIALLY POSITIONING SAID GYROSCOPES SO THAT THE DIHEDRAL ANGLE BETWEEN THE PLANES DEFINED RESPECTIVELY BY THE GIMBAL AXES OF SAID GYROSCOPES HAS A PREDETERMINED VALUE, AND THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE SPIN AXES AND THE LINE OF INTERSECTION OF SAID PLANES DEPART FROM AN ORTHOGONAL RELATIONSHIP BY THE ANGULAR DRIFT ANTICIPATED TO RESULT FROM THE ROTATION OF THE VEHICLE DURING SAID INTERVAL; MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY MODIFYING THE INITIAL POSITIONS OF SADI GYROSCOPES IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANGULAR MOVEMENT OF SAID LAUNCHER; MEANS FOR CAUSING INITIAL LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE FROM SAID LAUNCHER AND SIMULTANEOUS ROTATION OF THE VEHICLE ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF; MEANS FOR ARRESTING SAID ROTATION OF SAID VEHICLE AT THE END OF SADI INTERVAL; MEANS FOR POSITIONING THE VEHICLE IN A PREDETERMINED RELATIONSHIP TO THE PLANE DEFINED BY THE GIMBAL AXES OF ONE OF SAID GYROSCOPES; MEANS OPERABLE TO THEREAFTER CAUSE ROTATION OF SAID VEHICLE ABOUT AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PLANE; AND MEANS FOR THEREAFTER CONTROLLING THE ATTITUDE OF THE VEHICLE, ABOUT MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR AXES NORMAL TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXES, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ANGLES BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER GIMBALS OF BOTH SAID GYROSCOPES.