Raytheon Airborne Microwave Platform (RAMP) of 1960

hesham

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From Aviation magazine 1960,

here is a space helicopter Project,developed by Raytheon company.
 

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Space Helicopter? Ah … high altitude helicopter maybe. And that publications art-work possibly was the inspiration for the Art Director of the East European SF film, First Spaceship On Venus





David
 
Not a helicopter of course, but spin stabilization. This is new and valuable information. Thank you. Of course there have been concepts put forth about drone aircraft flying through the Martian atmosphere.
 
Not a helicopter of course, but spin stabilization.

The caption refers to the "mode original de propulsion", possibly to propel the rotor.

The significant bit of the story is evidently the use of a microwave beam to transfer energy from some source to the craft, by heating something on it, perhaps the focus of the central antenna, and use this to eject propellant.

On the other hand the rotor looks very aerodynamic, with odd control or trim tabs near the tips. Perhaps the thing is a planetary lander.
 
I think it's more a pseudo satellite using directed energy to sustain flight (instead of having a tether).

IMOHO, the energy is beamed on the underside (the circular base would hold a large enough antenna able to cope with beam dispersion which is in the order of 1+ meter at that altitude) and then the energy is converted into electricity to run both the engine and the radar system.
 
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How much energy are we talking? I had read that the power level required would cause too many problems in the atmosphere.
 
 

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While checking the NTRS, I found these technical reports which also talk about the RAMP and other beam-powered platform designs:


(Could the topic be renamed to Raytheon Airborne Microwave Platform (RAMP) please, or something like this to be more accurate?)

Attached here are pics of the "rectenna" demo helicopter from 1964, and the last one is a helicopter demo platform with self-positioning sensors from 1968:
 

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Hi.

William C. Brown was the lead engineer and scientist at Raytheon for this effort.
He was granted several patents for microwave powered space vehicles and microwave engines (microwave airbreathing engines).

I'll try to post a few screengrabs of these, being overbusy now.

William C. Brown, "Microwave Operated Space Vehicle," US Patent No.3114517, filed 12/05/1959, issued 17/12/1963

A.
 

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Hi,

This post will serve as a repository for listing William Brown's Raytheon patents (mostly filled in the US). He was granted many patents but only those filled in the late 1950s are related to directed-energy / microwave powered aerospace platforms and engines (helicopters-like vehicles, aircraft, space vehicles).

William C. Brown, Raytheon, "Electronic discharge tube," US Patent No.US2402983, filed 19411126, issued 19460602
William C. Brown, Raytheon, "Electron discharge device of the magnetron type," US Patent No.US2411953, filed 19440110, issued 19461203
William C. Brown, Raytheon, "Electron discharge device of the magnetron type," US Patent No.US2411984, filed 19440527, issued 19461203
William C. Brown, Raytheon, "Space discharge device ," US Patent No.US2437240, filed 19430607, issued 19480309
William C. Brown, Raytheon, "Apparatus for brazing radially extending plates to the interior of a tube," US Patent No.US2433339, filed 19440210, issued 19471230
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(many)
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William C. Brown, Raytheon, "MICROWAVE ENGINES," CA Patent No.CA658933, filed 19590512, issued 19630305
William C. Brown, Raytheon, "Microwave engines," US Patent No.3083528, filed 19590512, issued 19630402
William C. Brown, Raytheon, "Microwave Operated Space Vehicle," US Patent No.3114517, filed 19590512, issued 1963121
William C. Brown, Raytheon, "Space oriented microwave power transmission system," US Patent No.3989994, filed 19740809, issued 19761112

A.
 
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