Prefilled liquid rocket engine

Claim 1

A ROCKET ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A VESSEL FOR STORAGE OF TWO LIQUID PROPELLANTS, SAID VESSEL HAVING A RELATIVELY RIGID OUTER WALL INCLUDING OPPOSED END WALL PORTIONS AND A CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALL PORTION INTERCONNECTING SAID END WALL PORTIONS TO PROVIDE SAID VESSEL WITH AN OUTER SHAPE WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY THAT OF A RIGHT CIRCULAR CYLINDER, SAID VESSEL ALSO HAVING A RELATIVELY FLEXIBLE INNER WALL OF GENERALLY TUBULAR CONFIGURATION AND EXTENDING FROM ONE END WALL PORTION TO THE OTHER OF SAID VESSEL TO DIVIDE THE INTERIOR OF SAID VESSEL INTO AN INNER FIRST COMPARTMENT AND AN OUTER SECOND COMPARTMENT, SAID FLEXIBLE INNER WALL HAVING FOLDS RUNNING LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF TO PERMIT SAID WALL TO BE EXPANDED TOWARD THE OUTER WALL OF THE VESSEL; FIRST AND SECOND LIQUID PROPELLANTS SEALED WITHIN SAID INNER FIRST AND SAID OUTER SECOND COMPARTMENTS RESPECTIVELY; A THRUST UNIT, COMPRISING A COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND NOZZLE, SUPPORTED WITHIN THE INNER FIRST COMPARTMENT OF SAID CYLINDRICAL VESSEL SUCH THAT BOTH SAID CHAMBER AND NOZZLE ARE IMMERSED IN THE LIQUID PROPELLANT OF SAID INNER FIRST COMPARTMENT, THE NOZZLE PORTION OF SAID THRUST UNIT HAVING ITS DISCHARGE END DISPOSED AT AND OPENING THROUGH ONE END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL VESSEL, SAID THRUST UNIT HAVING A HOLLOW WALL STRUCTURE TO FORM A FIRST PASSAGE FOR SUPPLYING SAID FIRST PROPELLANT THERETHROUGH TO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, THE UPSTREAM END OF SAID FIRST PASSAGE BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT TO THE DOWNSTREAM END OF SAID NOZZLE; MEANS PROVIDING A SECOND PASSAGE FOR SUPPLYING SAID SECOND PROPELLANT THERETHROUGH TO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER; AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING A GAS UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID INNER FIRST COMPARTMENT TO FORCE SAID FIRST PROPELLANT THEREFROM THROUGH SAID FIRST PASSAGE TO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND TO EXPAND SAID FLEXIBLE INNER WALL TOWARD THE CYLINDRICAL OUTER SIDE WALL OF THE VESSEL TO FORCE SAID SECOND PROPELLANT FROM SAID OUTER SECOND COMPARTMENT THROUGH SAID SECOND PASSAGE TO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, SAID GAS PRESSURE SUPPLYING MEANS INCLUDING A TUBULAR CASING HAVING A CLOSED INNER END EXTENDING INTO SAID VESSEL AND HAVING ITS OTHER END SECURED TO THE END WALL PORTION OF THE CYLINDRICAL VESSEL REMOTE FROM THE THRUST UNIT, SAID OTHER END OF THE CASING BEING DISPOSED OVER AN OPENING IN SAID LAST-MENTIONED END WALL PORTION OF THE CYLINDRICAL VESSEL SO THAT SAID OPENING IS CLOSED BY THE CASING AGAINST THE ESCAPE OF LIQUID PROPELLANT THERETHROUGH, SAID CASING INCLUDING A DIAPHRAGM ARRANGED TO BURST TO ADMIT A GAS UNDER PRESSURE FROM WITHINSAID CASING INTO THE INNER FIRST COMPARTMENT OF THE VESSEL TO PRESSURIZE THE LIQUID PROPELLANT THEREIN, SAID FIRST AND SECOND COMPARTMENTS OCCUPYING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL THE SPACE WITHIN THE CYLINDRICAL VESSEL OTHER THAN THAT OCCUPIED BY SAID CASING AND THRUST UNIT.