Method for steering a solid propellant ballistic vehicle
US4387865A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 25, 1980 |
| Grant date | Jun 14, 1983 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 25, 2000 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF41G7/00
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A method for steering solid propellant ballistic vehicles during powered flight which eliminates the requirement for cutoff control by allowing simultaneous fuel depletion and velocity-to-be-gained, V.sub.G, nulling. The vehicle booster is steered along a velocity trajectory of length equal to the remaining velocity capability, V.sub.CAP, which results in a fuel-inefficient trajectory. The trajectory is divided basically into three phases--an exit phase, a fuel-depletion guidance (FDG) phase and a short phase of constant attitude thrusting just prior to final stage burnout. For the exit phase the launch azimuth and the pitch-over magnitude can be varied from their usual fuel-efficient values. During fuel-depletion guidance the additional degree of freedom is the angle, .theta., between V.sub.G and the desired thrust direction, U.sub.S, where: ##EQU1## a.sub.T being the sensed acceleration vector.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.