A transportation network for providing propellant in space can include optical mining vehicles that concentrate solar energy to spall captured asteroids, capture released volatiles, and store them in reservoirs as propellants. The network can also have orbital transfer vehicles that use solar thermal rocket modules that focus solar energy on heat exchangers to force propellant through nozzles, as well as separable aeromaneuvering tanker modules with reusable heatshields and storage tanks. The network can have propellant depots positioned between Earth and a transport destination. The depots can mechanically couple to accept propellant delivery and to supply it to visiting space vehicles.

A solar energy powered Stirling duplex cooler is presented which includes a Stirling engine and a Stirling cooler. The Stirling engine drives the Stirling cooler to produce cold temperatures for refrigeration or air conditioning. The Stirling duplex cooler includes a solar concentrator to focus high temperature solar radiation upon the Stirling engine expansion space. The Stirling duplex cooler further includes a thermal storage tank to receive and store heat rejected from the cooler expansion space. This stored heat is used to operate the cooler at night. A flywheel connected operatively to engine and cooler expansion space pistons and a crankshaft connected operatively to engine and cooler compression space pistons actuate the pistons to move a working fluid between the expansion and compression spaces.

A solar energy powered Stirling duplex cooler is presented which includes a Stirling engine and a Stirling cooler. The Stirling engine drives the Stirling cooler to produce cold temperatures for refrigeration or air conditioning. The Stirling duplex cooler includes a solar concentrator to focus high temperature solar radiation upon the Stirling engine expansion space. The Stirling duplex cooler further includes a thermal storage tank to receive and store heat rejected from the cooler expansion space. This stored heat is used to operate the cooler at night. A flywheel connected operatively to engine and cooler expansion space pistons and a crankshaft connected operatively to engine and cooler compression space pistons actuate the pistons to move a working fluid between the expansion and compression spaces.

A solar energy powered Stirling duplex cooler is presented which includes a Stirling engine and a Stirling cooler. The Stirling engine drives the Stirling cooler to produce cold temperatures for refrigeration or air conditioning. The Stirling duplex cooler includes a solar concentrator to focus high temperature solar radiation upon the Stirling engine expansion space. The Stirling duplex cooler further includes a thermal storage tank to receive and store heat rejected from the cooler expansion space. This stored heat is used to operate the cooler at night. A flywheel connected operatively to engine and cooler expansion space pistons and a crankshaft connected operatively to engine and cooler compression space pistons actuate the pistons to move a working fluid between the expansion and compression spaces.

A solar energy powered Stirling duplex cooler is presented which includes a Stirling engine and a Stirling cooler. The Stirling engine drives the Stirling cooler to produce cold temperatures for refrigeration or air conditioning. The Stirling duplex cooler includes a solar concentrator to focus high temperature solar radiation upon the Stirling engine expansion space. The Stirling duplex cooler further includes a thermal storage tank to receive and store heat rejected from the cooler expansion space. This stored heat is used to operate the cooler at night. A flywheel connected operatively to engine and cooler expansion space pistons and a crankshaft connected operatively to engine and cooler compression space pistons actuate the pistons to move a working fluid between the expansion and compression spaces.

A concentrator (10) of sun rays comprising: a reflective body (15) adapted to reflect incident sun rays towards a focal segment (SF) at which the reflected sun rays intersect, wherein the reflective body (15) comprises a plurality of reflective first sheets (40) alongside each other along a flanking direction parallel to the focal segment (SF) and each of which is inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to a plane passing through the middle point (PM) of the focal segment (SF) and orthogonal to the focal segment itself, wherein each first sheet (40) comprises a reflective surface defined by a plurality of parabolas (401), which are alongside each other with respect to the flanking direction of the first sheets (40) and each have a vertex (Vn1) placed on a vertex segment (SV1), which joins all the vertices (Vn1) of the parabolas (401) of each first sheet (40) have a focal distance varying along the flanking direction and are configured such that each parabola has a focal point (F1, Fn1, F2) placed on the focal segment (SF).

A concentrator (10) of sun rays comprising: a reflective body (15) adapted to reflect incident sun rays towards a focal segment (SF) at which the reflected sun rays intersect, wherein the reflective body (15) comprises a plurality of reflective first sheets (40) alongside each other along a flanking direction parallel to the focal segment (SF) and each of which is inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to a plane passing through the middle point (PM) of the focal segment (SF) and orthogonal to the focal segment itself, wherein each first sheet (40) comprises a reflective surface defined by a plurality of parabolas (401), which are alongside each other with respect to the flanking direction of the first sheets (40) and each have a vertex (Vn1) placed on a vertex segment (SV1), which joins all the vertices (Vn1) of the parabolas (401) of each first sheet (40) have a focal distance varying along the flanking direction and are configured such that each parabola has a focal point (F1, Fn1, F2) placed on the focal segment (SF).

A method of pumping a heat transfer fluid in a thermal energy storage system comprising a first thermal energy storage tank connected to a second thermal energy storage tank via a bi-directional flow member. The first and second thermal energy storage tanks are associated with a pressure vessel system comprising a first and second pressure vessel each pressure vessel being partially fillable with an actuating liquid, wherein, the method for pumping comprises: displacing the actuating liquid from the first pressure vessel to the second pressure vessel, thereby creating a pressure difference in the first thermal energy storage tank with respect to the second thermal energy storage tank, and therein displacing the heat transfer fluid via the bi-directional flow member.

An energy power generator includes an energy source having a solar energy source further having at least one or more parabolic mirrors for focusing solar energy in a predetermined direction or focal point, an enclosed fluid circuit including a medium supply tank, a pump coupled to the medium supply tank, a boiler tank coupled to the pump, a turbine and generator coupled to the boiler tank, and a condenser having an output of the turbine as an input and the condenser further providing an output used as a feedback input to the medium supply tank. The generator can further include one or more parabolic mirrors oriented or focused towards the predetermined focal point on or through the boiler tank, where the boiler tank has heat applied to increase the pressure used to operate the turbine.

An energy power generator includes an energy source having a solar energy source further having at least one or more parabolic mirrors for focusing solar energy in a predetermined direction or focal point, an enclosed fluid circuit including a medium supply tank, a pump coupled to the medium supply tank, a boiler tank coupled to the pump, a turbine and generator coupled to the boiler tank, and a condenser having an output of the turbine as an input and the condenser further providing an output used as a feedback input to the medium supply tank. The generator can further include one or more parabolic mirrors oriented or focused towards the predetermined focal point on or through the boiler tank, where the boiler tank has heat applied to increase the pressure used to operate the turbine.