Disclosed is a high altitude space launcher system for transferring payloads from surface to orbit at a significantly lower cost than conventional rockets. It comprises a aerostat lifted one stage light gas gun operating in stratosphere that shoots rocket assisted projectiles containing payload at near orbital velocities to a low angle trajectory. Alternatively, to launch acceleration sensitive payloads such as astronauts the light gas gun is replaced with a muzzle loaded conventional gun that shoots a single stage rocket at a much lower velocity. The system is mostly static structure, attached to a tether-elevator that moors it to land or a ship and provided it with electricity and lifts the projectiles to the gun.

An improved barrel clamp assembly for a multi-barreled minigun includes a barrel clamp tube having a front end, a rear end, and a plurality of longitudinal openings extending along a portion the length of the tube between the front end and the rear end. An impeller is mounted in the barrel clamp tube between the tube front end and the tube rear end. The impeller includes a plurality of impeller blades that are spaced around a periphery of the impeller and that project forward from a rear flange portion of the impeller and the impeller blades define a plurality of air channels. A barrel assembly includes the barrel clamp tube, a flash suppressor mounted to the front end of the barrel clamp tube, and a barrel clamp collar mounted to the rear end of the barrel clamp tube. The impeller is mounted to the barrel clamp tube between the flash suppressor and the barrel clamp collar.

A recoil controller is disclosed whose body 1 incorporates a strategically designed inner surface or surfaces 2. A moving countermass 6 impacts one or more times against one or more inner surfaces 2. During this process momentum is transferred from the countermass 6, to the inner surfaces 2, and then to the body 1 of the recoil controller, and then to anything to which it is attached or against which it is braced. The distributions, over time, of the momenta resulting from this transfer of momentum will depend on various factors including the composition, geometry and placement of the inner surfaces 2. A given recoil controller is designed such that the distributions, over time, of the momenta resulting from its use, are preferable to the distributions, over time, of the original momenta. The countermass 6 shown in FIG. 1 is the countermass 6 shown after one impact.

A recoil controller is disclosed whose body 1 incorporates a strategically designed inner surface or surfaces 2. A moving countermass 6 impacts one or more times against one or more inner surfaces 2. During this process momentum is transferred from the countermass 6, to the inner surfaces 2, and then to the body 1 of the recoil controller, and then to anything to which it is attached or against which it is braced. The distributions, over time, of the momenta resulting from this transfer of momentum will depend on various factors including the composition, geometry and placement of the inner surfaces 2. A given recoil controller is designed such that the distributions, over time, of the momenta resulting from its use, are preferable to the distributions, over time, of the original momenta. The countermass 6 shown in FIG. 1 is the countermass 6 shown after one impact.

A gas powered fluid gun for propelling a stream or slug of a fluid at high velocity toward a target. Recoil mitigation is provided by a cavitating venturi that reduces or eliminates the associated recoil forces, with minimal or no backwash. By launching a quantity of water in the opposite direction, net momentum forces are reduced or eliminated.

The method of controlling recoil in a disrupter comprises: providing liquid in a liquid chamber of the disrupter, the liquid chamber having a front nozzle for expelling the liquid therethrough; providing combustible propellant in a propellant chamber of the disrupter that communicates with the liquid chamber and that has a rear nozzle for expelling combustion gases therethrough; providing a bather between the liquid and the propellant to avoid admixing both; and igniting the propellant to generate expanding combustion gases that will expel the liquid out of the disrupter through the front nozzle in a first direction, either rupturing or propelling the barrier in the process, the combustion gases exhausting out of the disrupter at least partly through the rear nozzle in a second direction, with the first and second directions being at least partly opposite one another to control the recoil of the disrupter.

The method of controlling recoil in a disrupter comprises: providing liquid in a liquid chamber of the disrupter, the liquid chamber having a front nozzle for expelling the liquid therethrough; providing combustible propellant in a propellant chamber of the disrupter that communicates with the liquid chamber and that has a rear nozzle for expelling combustion gases therethrough; providing a bather between the liquid and the propellant to avoid admixing both; and igniting the propellant to generate expanding combustion gases that will expel the liquid out of the disrupter through the front nozzle in a first direction, either rupturing or propelling the barrier in the process, the combustion gases exhausting out of the disrupter at least partly through the rear nozzle in a second direction, with the first and second directions being at least partly opposite one another to control the recoil of the disrupter.