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US-12617555-B1 - Rocket based space station

US12617555B1US 12617555 B1US12617555 B1US 12617555B1US-12617555-B1

Abstract

A rocket assembly including a main housing extending from a first end to a second end and having a longitudinal axis between the first and second ends. A plurality of tubes, extending from a first end to a second end, with the second end of each tube connected with the first end of the main housing. At least a subset of the plurality of tubes are pivotal relative to the main housing from a first orientation wherein a longitudinal axis of the tube is substantially parallel with the main housing longitudinal axis and a second orientation wherein a longitudinal axis of the tube is substantially parallel with the main housing longitudinal axis.

Inventors

  • Nick Pan

Assignees

  • PANAM 3D, LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20250127

Claims (8)

  1. 1 . A space station including comprising: a plurality of rocket assemblies, wherein each of said rocket assemblies has a main housing and a longitudinal axis, wherein a plurality of pivotal tubes are attached to said main housing that are selectively positionable relative to said main housing from a first orientation that is substantially parallel with said longitudinal axis and a second orientation that is substantially perpendicular with said longitudinal axis; wherein said pivotable tubes from at least two of said plurality of rocket assemblies are interconnected in said second orientation to provide a passage between said at least two of said plurality of rocket assemblies.
  2. 2 . The space station of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of rocket assemblies further includes a plurality of fixed tubes that are fixed in orientation relative to said main housing.
  3. 3 . The space station of claim 2 wherein at least one of said plurality of fixed tubes supports a propulsion engine.
  4. 4 . The space station of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said plurality of pivotal tubes are 3D printed.
  5. 5 . The space station of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of pivotal tubes is formed with a double-walled structure having a space between an outer wall and an inner wall.
  6. 6 . The space station of claim 5 wherein said space is hollow.
  7. 7 . The space station of claim 5 wherein said space has a reinforcing structure formed therein.
  8. 8 . The space station of claim 5 wherein said space has at least one elongate conduit formed therein.

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Prov. Appln. No. 63/626,015, filed on Jan. 28, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to an orbital floating space station. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a floating space station formed via interconnected, configurable rockets. BACKGROUND A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time and is therefore a type of space habitat. Space stations have harbored so far the only long-duration direct human presence in space. As of 2024, there are two fully operational space stations in low Earth orbit (LEO)—the International Space Station (ISS) and China's Tiangong Space Station (TSS). The ISS has hosted the highest number of people in orbit at the same time, reaching 13 for the first time during an eleven day docking in 2009. On May 30, 2023 there were 11 people on the ISS and 6 on China's TSS: with a total of 17 people in orbit, it set the record for most people in orbit as of 2023. These current stations allow for a very limited number of occupants and only for temporary stays. Additionally, these stations are difficult to build and sustain. For example, after several years, the TSS has only finished its phase 1 construction with the addition of two lab modules. These modules, and any additional modules, must be shuttled into space and are limited in size based on the need for such modules to fit within the payload of a rocket. SUMMARY In at least one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a rocket assembly including a main housing extending from a first end to a second end and having a longitudinal axis between the first and second ends. A plurality of tubes, extending from a first end to a second end, with the second end of each tube connected with the first end of the main housing. At least a subset of the plurality of tubes are pivotal relative to the main housing from a first orientation wherein a longitudinal axis of the tube is substantially parallel with the main housing longitudinal axis and a second orientation wherein a longitudinal axis of the tube is substantially parallel with the main housing longitudinal axis. In at least one embodiment, a second subset of the tubes are fixed in orientation relative to main housing. In at least one embodiment, at least one of the tubes of the second subset has a propulsion engine at its first end. In at least one embodiment, at least a portion of the tubes and/or main housing are 3D printed. In at least one embodiment, the disclosure provides a space station including at least first and second rocket assemblies wherein a first end of one of the tubes of the first subset of tubes of the first rocket assembly is interconnected with a first end of one of the tubes of the first subset of tubes of the second rocket assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the invention. In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rocket assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure shown in a launch configuration. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rocket assembly of FIG. 1 in an orbiting configuration. FIG. 3 is an expanded view of the rocket assembly of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is is an expanded view of a capsule portion of the rocket assembly of FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a space station assembly formed via a plurality of rocket assemblies. FIG. 7 is a plan view of an illustrative double walled tube. DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the drawings, like numerals indicate like elements throughout. Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. The following describes preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, it should be understood, based on this disclosure, that the invention is not limited by the preferred embodiments described herein. Referring to FIGS. 1-5, a rocket assembly 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure will be described. The rocket assembly 10 generally comprises a main housing 20 with an outer shell 22 extending from a wide end 21 to a tapered end 23. In the illustrated embodiment, a detachable capsule 30, described in more detail hereinafter, is connected at the tapered end 23. The outer shell 22 is manufactured from strong, lightweight materials like aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, and carbon composites. In at least one embodiment, at least portions of the outer shell 22 are manufactured utilizing 3D printing, for example, utilizing 3D printers as described in U.S. Pat. No