An aerial vehicle comprises an elongate envelope within which are at least one first compartment for holding a lighter than air gas and at least one second compartment for holding atmospheric air and said at least one second compartment having an inlet and an outlet and at least one pair of wings extending laterally from the envelope; said wings being planar units with a leading and trailing edge, the width of the wings from their leading edges to their trailing edges being substantially less than the length of the envelope with airfoil portions fitted between the leading and trailing edges of the wing: the top and bottom of the wings are mirror images of one another; in which forward motion of the vehicle is obtainable without trust through alternate diving and climbing motion.

A balloon equipped with photovoltaic means exhibiting an active face intended to receive solar rays and comprising an envelope, characterized in that the envelope comprises at least: a first zone transparent to solar rays; a second reflecting zone for said solar rays; a third zone comprising said photovoltaic means, the active face of which is directed toward the inside of said envelope; the second and third zones being positioned and cooperating in such a way as to reflect the solar rays in the direction of said third zone.

A balloon equipped with photovoltaic means exhibiting an active face intended to receive solar rays and comprising an envelope, characterized in that the envelope comprises at least: a first zone transparent to solar rays; a second reflecting zone for said solar rays; a third zone comprising said photovoltaic means, the active face of which is directed toward the inside of said envelope; the second and third zones being positioned and cooperating in such a way as to reflect the solar rays in the direction of said third zone.

The invention relates to a multipurpose airship and, more particularly, to a hybrid dirigible. The airship comprises a body (2) having a parallelepiped shape and docking means (8) comprising four rods connected by a frame and designed to be extractable from the body (2), the ends of these rods being provided each with at least one vacuum cup for adhering to a substantially vertical surface of a building. The docking means (8) are provided with grips adapted to engage with the docking means (8) of another airship of the same design. The invention also relates to a set of airships including at least two said airships. The proposed airship does not require a lot of space for its take-off and provides fast and secure evacuation of people from tower buildings. In addition, the invention provides the possibility of varying the airship payload directly in flight depending of specific needs.

The present invention is a variable geometry lighter-than-air (LTA) aircraft that is adapted to morph its shape from a symmetric cross-section buoyant craft to an asymmetric lifting body and even to a symmetric zero lift configuration. The basic structure is a semi rigid airship with movable longerons. Movement of the longerons adjusts the camber of the upper and/or lower surfaces to achieve varying shapes of the lifting-body. This transformation changes both the lift and drag characteristics of the craft to alter the flight characteristics. The transformation may be accomplished while the craft is airborne and does not require any ground support equipment.

The present invention is a variable geometry lighter-than-air (LTA) aircraft that is adapted to morph its shape from a symmetric cross-section buoyant craft to an asymmetric lifting body and even to a symmetric zero lift configuration. The basic structure is a semi rigid airship with movable longerons. Movement of the longerons adjusts the camber of the upper and/or lower surfaces to achieve varying shapes of the lifting-body. This transformation changes both the lift and drag characteristics of the craft to alter the flight characteristics. The transformation may be accomplished while the craft is airborne and does not require any ground support equipment.

The invention relates to the field of aviation, and specifically to aircraft structures. The present hybrid aircraft comprises an aerostat with a rigid frame, ballonets with helium, a suspension system, and a bearing platform with a cargo/passenger cabin. The cabin includes controls, engines, electrical equipment and measurement devices. The aerostat is composed of two envelopes connected by a cylindrical hinge and provided with affixing elements, controlling the rotation of which allows for changing and securing the aerostat in the form of a wing or in the form of an A-shape with an opened fairing. The suspension system includes rigid and flexible connections and is capable of being transformed and secured. The stationing and securing of the device in a stable position can be carried out on a sloped solid ground surface, on a water surface, or on a vertical structure.

A plurality of space vehicles forming a satellite constellation, each space vehicle comprising a housing having a first side and an opposite side, and an axis; a first elongated, rectangular sheet including an array of transducer devices including multijunction solar cells mounted on, and extending from a surface of the first side of the housing, and a second elongated rectangular sheet including an array of transducer devices including multijunction solar cells mounted on and extending from a surface of the second side of the housing in a direction opposite to that of the first elongated rectangular sheet, wherein the selection of the composition of the subcells and their band gap of the multijunction solar cells maximizes the efficiency of the solar cell at the end-of-life EOL in the application of one of (i) a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite that typically experiences radiation equivalent to 510.sup.14 electron fluence per square centimeter (e/cm.sup.2) over a five year EOL, or (ii) a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite that typically experiences radiation in the range of 510.sup.14 e/cm.sup.2 to 110.sup.15 e/cm.sup.2 over a fifteen year EOL, with the efficiency of the multijunction solar cells being less at the beginning-of-life (BOL) than the end-of-life (EOL).

A lighter-than-air airship has an exoskeleton constructed of spokes and hubs to create a set of connected hexagrams comprised of isosceles triangles wherein the spokes flex and vary in length to produce the slope of said airship's surface. In one embodiment, the exoskeleton connects to a nose cone that includes a cockpit cabin for controlling the airship's operation from a single location that can be physically separated from the exoskeleton in response to catastrophic events and for autonomous and/or remotely piloted operation. An improved means is also provided for landing and unloading cargo, and through use of unmanned aerial vehicles in another embodiment, the airship is configured for remote pickup, transport, delivery and return of payloads such as packages. In yet another embodiment, the airship provides a communications platform for beam form transmission and satellite signal relay, including in combination with the foregoing disclosed attributes.

A lighter-than-air airship has an exoskeleton constructed of spokes and hubs to create a set of connected hexagrams comprised of isosceles triangles wherein the spokes flex and vary in length to produce the slope of said airship's surface. In one embodiment, the exoskeleton connects to a nose cone that includes a cockpit cabin for controlling the airship's operation from a single location that can be physically separated from the exoskeleton in response to catastrophic events and for autonomous and/or remotely piloted operation. An improved means is also provided for landing and unloading cargo, and through use of unmanned aerial vehicles in another embodiment, the airship is configured for remote pickup, transport, delivery and return of payloads such as packages. In yet another embodiment, the airship provides a communications platform for beam form transmission and satellite signal relay, including in combination with the foregoing disclosed attributes.