BIDIRECTIONAL CONTROL SURFACES FOR USE WITH HIGH SPEED VEHICLES, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS

摘要

Vehicles with bidirectional control surfaces and associated systems and methods are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a rocket can include a plurality of bidirectional control surfaces positioned toward an aft portion of the rocket. In this embodiment, the bidirectional control surfaces can be operable to control the orientation and/or flight path of the rocket during both ascent, in a nose-first orientation, and descent, in a tail-first orientation for, e.g., a tail-down landing.

主权项

1. A rocket comprising:
a first end portion; a second end portion; and one or more bidirectional aerodynamic control surfaces, wherein the aerodynamic control surfaces are movable to steer the rocket when the rocket is flying in a first orientation in which the first end portion leads the second end portion, and when the rocket is flying in a second orientation in which the second end portion leads the first end portion.