Solar Thruster Sailor (STS) - Fig. 10 - Thruster Ring Spacecraft using a chemical booster to overcome the slow first acceleration stages.
- © Frank Ellinghaus -

Fig.1 - Fig.2a-2b - Fig.2c - Fig.2d - Fig.3a-3b - Fig.4a-4c - Fig.5 - Fig.6 - Fig.7 - Inner Ring - Flying Ring - Fig.8 - Fig.8a - Fig.8b - Fig.9 - Fig.9a - Fig.10 - Fig.11 - Fig.10 - Fig.11 - Fig.13 - Fig.14-15 - Fig.16 Mobile Thruster Unit - Fig.17 - Fig.18 Fuelless Steering - Fig.19-21d Solar Sail Launch System

Fig. 10 - Thruster Ring Spacecraft latched to a chemical booster rocket - to boost the initial thrust to chemical levels.

Solar Sails and Solar Electric Propulsion are very effective in fuel consumption. Both are weak propulsion methods. A lot of time is needed for acceleration. This is especially true for the acceleration needed to get out of Earth´s gravitation well. A solar sail as well as a ion or Hall thruster driven space craft needs a lot of time to spiral out of Earth orbit. Smart I for instance, the European ion-thruster driven probe needed more than a year to reach Moon orbit from Earth orbit. A chemical rocket could do that in in a straight way not having to spiral around Earth.

Why not combine the advantages of those propulsion methods?
Figure 10 shows a Thruster Ring Spacecraft latched to a chemical booster rocket with CNT fiber threads or belts. This not used booster brought with a rocket into space could get latched there to the center of the Thruster Ring Spacecraft - even when fitted with a solar sail.

Solar Sail or Thruster Ring Spacecraft latched to a booster rocket for a fast orbit change.

The booster is latched to the spacecraft Outer Ring and to it´s Inner Ring also. When the booster´s fuel is used up the solar sail accelerates further with it´s electric thrusters abondaning the booster.

The long spiraling method could get prevented, the mission considerably shortened and the craft already on a high speed level will accelerate further for a long time.

Another use for such a coupling method would be to transport a booster through the Thruster Ring Spacecraft or for pointing it into the needed direction, letting it going off alone.

to the next MOPS - The MObile Solar Power Station - a space power utility moving like a spacecraft

Fig.1 - Fig.2a-2b - Fig.2c - Fig.2d - Fig.3a-3b - Fig.4a-4c - Fig.5 - Fig.6 - Fig.7 - Inner Ring - Flying Ring - Fig.8 - Fig.8a - Fig.8b - Fig.9 - Fig.9a - Fig.10 - Fig.11

I N D E X - G E R M A N

POST & AUTHOR & Vision

STS - Solar Thruster Sailor

RSS - Ring Skeleton Structure

LTH - Launcher Transport Head

EFO - Experimental Flying Object

RSC - Rotational Slingshot Catapult

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