Launching tower for heavy rockets

A system for launching heavy rockets from the shaft of a launching tower where a cluster of liquid-propellant motors is mounted to its base and a series of clusters of solid-propellant motors are mounted in the tower's columns, the latter motors being consecutively upwardly fired. The rocket is supported by a piston impinged by the jet of gases ejected by the tower's motors. The impinging jet of gases spreads out of the shaft through open windows which are provided in the tower's walls and the rising movement of the rocket inside the shaft is controlled along a given path of movement in a manner that the firing of motors and closing of windows ensure controlled pressures below the piston and as a result, controlled accelerations. The rocket leaving the tower disconnects the impinging piston and then fires its own motors, having at that point a kinetic energy greater than usual. Heavy rockets using the launching tower can put in their orbits useful loads much greater than usual due to the load of propellants and their tanks saved in the first stage of thrust.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for launching heavy 
rockets from a launching tower with stable motors, thus the first stage's 
motors of the rocket start when the rocket leaves the tower. 
It is known that rocket's launching is accomplished by the first stage's 
motors of the rocket. These motors use liquid-propellants for heavy 
rockets. The requirements imposed by a maximum weight of useful load 
(payload) lead to a very high mass ratio of propellants from 10 to 20, and 
as a result it is necessary to have a maximum mass of propellants in the 
rocket's tanks, propellants which become the main elements of the rocket. 
The rocket was divided in stages, this being the only solution to reach 
the orbital speed and to be free from the Earth's gravitational field. Two 
or three stages are now utilized in the heavy launchers. The main problems 
difficult to be solved when augmenting the number of stages are: the 
growth in the take-off weight, the separation of a stage, and the firing 
of the ensuing one. The separation of stages one by one diminishes the 
mass of the rocket and increases the speed to the required limits. The 
first stage's motors of heavy rockets using liquid-propellants provides 
low take-off accelerations, and as a result the kinetic energy transfered 
to the rocket in launching is small. At take-off, the low speeds induce to 
high consumption of propellants, and the first stage's motors spend a lot 
of propellants to move the rocket and to impart it the initial speed. 
There are important power reserves to be found and utilized as long as a 
rocket will be let to solve the take-off phase by its own means, because 
the "specific consumption per unit covered distance" is maximum at 
launching. The rocket must solve the mission by its own means only after 
its exit from the radius of action of the Earth's equipments. Thus, the 
invention herein relates to an Earth launching utilizing stable equipments 
to accomplish the take-off, and to transfer to rocket maximum 
accelerations whose rates have to be controlled only to enable them to be 
withstood by the instruments and for the reason of safeguarding the 
occupants. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The launching tower of a steel structure is formed by a series of columns 
disposed in a regular polygonal shape circumscribed about a circle of an 
area cca. 2.5 greater than the area of the biggest cross-section of the 
heaviest rocket to be launched. A framed cylinder called "piston" is 
supported at an appointed distance from the ground inside the shaft of the 
tower. The rocket is placed on this piston. A cluster of liquid-propellant 
motors are set up in the tower's basement, their nozzles passing through 
the reinforced concrete slab covering the basement and being aimed upwards 
inside the tower. The tower's columns are braced by the frames of 
continuous windows provided with shutters closing at command. The tower 
has horizontal wings of steel plates placed on equidistant intervals less 
than the height of piston, to protect the rocket against the jet of flames 
and to brace the entire structure. Clusters of solid-propellant motors are 
placed inside the tower's columns being aimed upwards and providing cones 
of ejecting gases at their level behind the piston. The take-off is 
accomplished by the motors placed inside the tower in its basement and 
columns. The jets of gas impinge the couple piston-rocket and spread 
laterally through the open windows. The clusters of solid-propellant 
motors are fired just as each cluster is left behind by the bottom of the 
rising piston. When the rocket leaves the tower its own motors are fired 
and the impinging piston is disconnected. 
The principal object of my invention is to provide the saving of take-off 
propellants which are now about 5% of the total propellant of a rocket to 
reach its height. 
A further object of my invention is to provide greater accelerations at 
take-off and consequently a greater speed for the point representing the 
height of the tower. For a high tower it is possible to provide a take-off 
acceleration of 3 g and perhaps greater, performance which is impossible 
to be provided by the first stage of a heavy interplanetary rocket. In 
that case the saved propellant becomes about 15% of the total propellant. 
A further object of my invention is to provide at take-off, when the rocket 
leaves the tower, a kinetic energy 30 times greater than usual. 
A further object of my invention is to increase the useful load 
redistributing the saved load of propellants and their tanks. The total 
saving of about 15% is able to increase the orbital weight about 30% of 
its own weight. Due to these facts, the greater the rocket, the more 
efficient the new proposed launching system will be. 
A further object of my invention is to provide rather big spacecrafts to be 
placed on Earth's orbit either to assure the returning of the crew to 
Earth from heavy interplanetary rockets or to place bigger masses on 
steady heavy Earth's satellites. 
A further object of my invention is to use take-off motors which are free 
of hard conditions imposed in the building of rocket motors, their mass 
not affecting the results. 
A further object of my invention is to provide more economical launchings 
reusing the tower with all its equipments including the piston which can 
be parachuted. 
A further object of my invention is to provide launching of heavy rockets 
resisting to the action of the weather, because the component factors of 
the weather are insignificant in rapport with the kinetic energy of a 
rocket leaving the tower. 
A further object of my invention is to provide "clean launchings" as a 
result of using a piston interposed between rocket and all torque of 
flames and great clouds of steam which now can easily damage part of a 
rocket. 
These objects and advantageous features are apparent from the description 
and claims, but I think that it is more accurate to point out them 
distinctly as in the paragraph above. 
Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent 
from the description and claims.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
Before turning to a specific description of the present invention it will 
be advantageous to consider some theoretical considerations of the new 
proposed system and some general aspects concerning the launching of heavy 
rockets. 
FIG. 1 represents a sectional view through the working-chamber anywhere 
along the tower when the jet of gases impinges the couple piston-rocket. 
As a principle the rising piston is permanently followed by a 
"working-chamber" which is limited upward by the bottom of the piston 1, 
downward by the horizontal plane 3 which severs the open windows 2 from 
the shut windows 4, and laterally by the tower's walls which consists of 
columns and open windows. Imagine the center of gravity 5 of 
working-chamber being a spring and the plane 3 being a thin plate. Assume 
that the spring ejects the same mass of gas per second and at the same 
velocity as the tower's motors eject. Assume that the thrust 10 is a 
static force applied on the plate 3. The working-chamber is always in 
equilibrium. The pressure impinges the bottom of the piston 1 upward as 
thrust 7, the pressure acts downward as thrust 8 equal to thrust 7, while 
the pressure acts laterally as thrust 9 radially disposed on the open 
windows 2 being in reciprocal equilibrium. If the gas velocity through the 
open windows 2 equals the velocity of the springed gas, thrust 8 equals 
static force 10. If the gas velocity through open windows 2 is less than 
the sprung gas velocity, the gas will relax, thrusts 7 and 8 will 
decrease, and to maintain the equilibrium static force 10 must decrease. 
If the gas velocity through open windows 2 is greater than the sprung gas 
velocity, the gas will be compressed, thrusts 7 and 8 will increase, and 
to maintain the equilibrium static force 10 must increase. Consider the 
effective area of open windows, their open area reduced by the shape 
coefficient. In fact the gas velocity through open windows 2 depends on 
the ratio of the inside area of the tower to the effective area of open 
windows 2, and the velocity of gas through open windows 2 is the velocity 
of sprung gas times that ratio. The thrust which acts the bottom of the 
piston depends on the ratio of these two areas. When the areas are equal 
the ratio is 1 and thrusts 7, 8 and 10 are equal. When thrust 7 is greater 
than weight 21 of the couple piston-rocket, the couple moves. To move the 
couple for a heavy rocket of about 3,000 tons, the pressure inside the 
tower must be about 2 atmospheres, and to impart an acceleration of 3 g 
the pressure should be about 6 atmospheres. The area of open windows is of 
the first importance because it is able to adjust the increasing of 
accelerations to safeguard the occupants. If the area of open windows is 
out of control and diminishes under its safe limits, the pressure inside 
the tower increases over the bearable pressure and it will explode. To 
explain the working-chamber the phenomenons were simplified, in fact the 
velocity of gases is altered slightly by the increasing distance between 
the nozzles and the piston and low supplimentary pressures occur inside 
the tower and on the other hand the open windows could be anywhere between 
ground and piston either clustered or scattered. 
The height of the tower depends on three main factors: the "specific 
consumption per unit covered distance", the speed to be obtained when the 
rocket leaves the tower, and the means of the building technology for the 
high steel structures. The "specific consumption per unit covered 
distance" is variable and in inverse ratio with the speed of the rocket. 
This fact is illustrated in the dual graph FIG. 2. Above the X axis the 
graph indicates the variation of the "specific consumption per unit 
covered distance" as a function of the distance covered by the rocket, and 
below the X axis the graph indicates the variation of the consumption per 
second before the movement of the rocket. To record the heights reached by 
the rocket above the ground, the vertical scale Y laid off above the X 
axis was graded in feet, and to record the seconds before the movement of 
the rocket, the vertical scale Y laid off below the X axis was graded in 
seconds. To make the graph more explicit, the X axis which represents the 
consumption of the rocket's motors in tons per second, was graded 
logarithmically. The point 11 represents the height of a heavy rocket, the 
point 12 represents the consumption per second of the rocket's motors when 
they develop their full thrust, and the point 13 represents the seconds 
from the starting of the rocket's motors to the movement of the rocket. It 
is evident that further away from the ground the rocket, the consumption 
per unit covered distance is less. The most important alteration of the 
specific consumption occurs up to the height of the rocket, then this one 
diminishes little by little. The area between the Y axis and the curve 
represents the consumption of propellants at take-off. Taking into 
consideration this curve it is possible to choose a suitable height of the 
tower to obtain the more suitable take-off saving of propellants. 
According to the take-off accelerations and to the maximum velocity to be 
provided when the rocket leaves the tower results in the power of the 
tower's motors, their number, and their positions, and consequently a new 
height for the tower. Comparing these heights with the limits of actual 
technological possibilities for the high steel structures, will result in 
the very height of the tower. It seems, that the height is around 1,000 
feet. Turning to FIG. 3, the present invention will be seen embodied 
within a reinforced concrete foundation 14, including a series of 
basements 15, 16, 17 and the steel columns 18. In basement 16 are 
installed the liquid-propellant motors 19 with their nozzles 32 (FIG. 4) 
passing through the reinforced concrete slab 20 and being aimed upward 
towards the initial position of working-chamber 6. In basements 15 are 
fixed the tanks for liquid-propellants and the control equipments of 
liquid-propellant motors. Basement 17 bears the mobile side of the tower 
called "the tower gate", and inside this basement are set up the engines, 
not shown, to move the tower gate over rail-ways 22 when the tower opens 
to allow the setting of rocket on its take-off position. Rocket 23 is set 
on piston 24 which is supported by bearings 25. Bottom 1 of piston 24 is 
concave to group better the jet of gases aimed upward. Piston 24 is braced 
inside by radial diaphragms to ensure its undeformability. Columns 18 are 
set in a polygonal shape of minimum six sides (FIG. 4), and their cross 
section is inscribed in a trapezoid, its shortest side being curved and 
placed inside the tower. For a smooth running of gases through open 
windows, the inside elements of the structure have aerodynamic shapes. The 
walls of the tower must be protected to prevent them from melting. Can be 
used known methods like the encasing in materials which dissipate the heat 
by progressive ablation or wall-cooling effected by circulating liquids. 
Mobile columns 30 make up the tower gate, its height being a few greater 
than the sum of heights of: working-chamber 6, piston 24 and rocket 23. 
Fix parts of columns 31 placed above mobile columns 30 are supported by 
bracings to adjacent columns 18 to maintain their position when the tower 
gate moves. Mobile columns 30 are connected to fix columns 31 and adjacent 
columns 18 by splices, not shown, when the tower shuts its gate. The 
tower's columns 18, 30 and 31 are braced by horizontal frames 33 of 
windows and by wings 26. The windows are placed between wings 26 as shown 
in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 and FIG. 6, and the mark of windows is 2 when they are 
open and 4 when they are shut. Wings 26, made of steel plates, are 
disposed on horizontal planes spaced not more than the height of piston 
24. They brace the structure and protect the rocket against the jet of 
flames. Before take-off all the tower's windows are open. Open windows 2 
placed below piston 24 give dimension to working-chamber's height. 
Gradually, as piston 24 rises and moves past a series of open windows 2, 
its magnet 36 excites a pick-up coil 40 installed inside a column, one for 
each series of windows. The signal of coil 40 is passed to amplifier 56 
(FIG. 19a) from which it activates a relay 61 associated with six pairs of 
servo-valves 57 for rams 50 which shut shutters 29 (FIG. 16) of the lowest 
series of open windows 2 of working-chamber 6. Shutter 29 of a window is 
closed by two pairs of rams 50 installed symmetrically in the adjacent 
columns, and these four rams 50 of a shutter are activated in pairs by two 
servo-valves 57 (FIG. 16). The mechanism rams-shutters works using fix 
axles 60 and 88, mobile axles 91 and 90, and levers 82 and 87 (FIG. 16, 
FIG. 17 and FIG. 18). Determination of where the pick-up coil 40 has to be 
fixed depends on the distance between the magnet 36 and the bottom of the 
working-chamber, and on the delay between the time the magnet 36 excites 
the pick-up coil 40 and the time the rams 50 shut the shutters 29 of the 
lowest windows of working-chamber so that the height of working-chamber 6 
to be invariable. As will be further disclosed, the working-chamber is 
divided in two divisions and the control of windows already disclosed 
refers to the upper division of the working-chamber. 
Inside the tower each frame 33 of windows and each wing 26 has a circular 
plate 35 which shapes a concentric outside circle to piston 24. The inside 
edges of these circular plates 35 are provided with wire brushes 37 wiping 
the vertical wall of piston 24 in its rising movement to tighten the space 
between piston 24 and plates 35 against the rising jet of flames. Piston 
24 rises being guided by wheels 38 which roll over rail-ways 39 mounted on 
the tower's columns. Columns 18, 30 and 31 are enclosed and have inside 
them the solid-propellant motors 28 and all equipments to control: the 
shutting of windows, the firing of solid-propellant motors, the launching 
system and the safe devices. As seen in FIG. 7 the solid-propellant motors 
28 are installed inside columns 18. The acute angle of motors with the 
vertical allows them to provide a cone of jets which impinges piston 24 
similarly with the basement's motors, but more powerfully providing high 
accelerations. Motors 28 are mounted at different levels forming stages of 
thrust as will be shown furthermore. A solid-propellant motor 28 has 
inside a solid-propellant 42 in a star-shape with its central hole 
surrounded by compact corners, each one notched as a pine needle to obtain 
a maximum thrust for a short time. Inside the columns is fixed a second 
series of pick-up coils 51 one for each cluster of solid-propellant 
motors. Piston 24 has a second magnet 52 which excites in its rising 
movement the coils 51 (FIG. 5). The signal of coil 51 is passed to 
amplifier 58 (FIG. 19c) from which it activates relay 63 associated with 
all six igniters 53 of a cluster of solid-propellant motors 28. Pick-up 
coils 51 are fixed at appointed heights taking into account: the delay 
between the time magnet 52 excites pick-up coil 51 and the time igniter 53 
fires solid-propellant 42; and the fact that the jet of gases of a cluster 
of solid-propellant motors must eject just as the nozzles of its motors 
are left behind by the bottom of piston 1 in its rising movement, this 
means the distance between the magnet 52 and the bottom of piston 1. 
In FIG. 10 the tower is open its gate being moved on rail-ways 22 at the 
very end of platform 34. In FIG. 4 a rolling girder 43 is set on rail-ways 
22 as an example. When the tower gate is moved at the end of platform 34 a 
plurality of rolling girders 43 are set on rail-ways 22 and are braced all 
together. Rolling-bridge 45 moves on rail-ways 44 stopping between the 
tower and its gate. The rolling bridge is equipped with a turn-table 46 
turning around axle 48 on rolls 47. The access of vehicle carrying the 
couple piston-rocket towards the tower occurs on road 49. The platform 34 
is provided with retaining wall 41 which allows the passing of vehicle 
from road 42 to turn-table 46 which turns around 90 degrees allowing the 
couple to get inside the tower. Piston 24 is divided in three parts by two 
symmetrical vertical planes separated by a distance approximately equal to 
the biggest diameter of heavy rocket 23. The central part of piston 24 
comes on the vehicle supporting heavy rocket 23 and the lateral parts 27 
are waiting inside the tower on bearings 25. Inside the tower these three 
parts of piston 24 are solid jointed between them shaping one unit which 
is clamped by steel jaws of the structure not shown. The vehicle withdraws 
and returns the same way. Rolling bridge 45 moves outside on its rail-ways 
44 and rolling girders 43 are taken off. The tower gate slides towards the 
tower on its rail-ways 22 and shuts the tower. The rocket is prepared for 
launching. At take-off the vernier motors of the rocket start first to 
ensure the stability of the rocket. The jet of gases of vernier motors 
leaves the tower through open windows 2 above piston 24. Liquid-propellant 
motors 19 from the basement start and when they develop their full thrust 
the jaws open and the jet of gases impinges the couple piston-rocket and 
spreads laterally through open windows 2 leaving the tower. The thrust of 
motors 19 being bigger than the weight of couple 21 and the effective area 
of open windows below piston 24 being equal to inside area of the tower, 
the couple piston-rocket moves starting its rising movement. Piston 24 
rises being guided by wheels 38 which roll on their rail-ways 39 mounted 
on the tower's columns. 
The entire launching is programmed and controlled. The pressures which 
impinge the couple piston-rocket are low, of the order of 2 to 6 
atmospheres achieving an acceleration of about 3 g when the rocket leaves 
the tower. The launching programme consists of the following graphs 
concerning the rising movement of heavy rocket inside the tower: 
The desired accelerations FIG. 11 which is a scheduled line and which must 
respect a safe variation for crew and instruments. 
The graph of velocities FIG. 12 as a result of desired accelerations. 
The graph of times FIG. 13 as a result of velocity's graph. 
The graph of thrusts FIG. 14 which covers the graph of desired 
accelerations. This graph contains two liners. The first one is 
discontinuous representing the sum of thrusts of all motors as they run 
underneath the bottom of the piston in its rising movement. The second one 
is an amended line of thrusts removing the discontinuities of the first 
one and yielding a continuous increasing acceleration. This graph decides 
the number of stages of thrust and also the greatness and the location of 
each stage of thrust as a result of covering the desired accelerations of 
FIG. 11. 
The graph of open window areas FIG. 15 which in combination with the first 
line of thrusts FIG. 14, allows the amended line of thrusts. 
The accelerations inside the tower are in function of pressures applied 
towards the bottom of piston 1. The variation of pressure can be achieved 
by three means: varying the thrust in steps, varying the area of open 
windows or combinations between the first two in other words varying the 
thrust at the same time with the area of open windows. The third means is 
necessary because it allows a smooth increasing of acceleration avoiding 
shocks as a result of firing the clusters of solid-propellant motors in 
steps. It will be disclosed for one discontinued point of first line how 
the operation of shutters 29 can change the first line into an amended one 
which is the second line FIG. 14. Before reaching height h, the pressure 
below the bottom of piston 1 can be increased by diminishing the standard 
area of open windows considering the differences between the abscisas of 
both lines for the same heights. D1 is a negative difference and decides 
the area of windows to be closed for that height. D2 is a positive 
difference and decides the area of windows to be supplimentary open. For 
an assigned height of the tower, the difference between the abscisas of 
those two lines of thrust with its sign divided by the sum of the 
effective thrust at that point establishes the percentage of standard 
opened window area to be closed or open as the sign is negative or 
positive; the standard open window area being the inside area of the tower 
increased by the shape coefficient of open windows. For the reason to 
facilitate the maneuver of shutters 29 concerning these corrections, the 
standard area of open windows is divided in two. A big percentage of 
standard area e.g. 80% follows the bottom of piston 1 and the rest of 20% 
of standard area remains permanently close to the ground. These 
percentages are merely illustrative. The area following the piston is 
constant and the area close to the ground is variable as the amended line 
of thrusts requires. On one column 18 is fixed a third series of pick-up 
coils 54 as the amended line of thrusts requires. As an example, according 
to the graph of FIG. 15, for each height being a corresponding positive or 
negative corrective area of windows, may be chosen those heights 
corresponding to pairs of window, and for each one to be installed a 
pick-up coil 54 at the respective height, the coil being destined to 
ensure the maneuver of windows required by its height. Piston 24 has a 
third magnet 55 which excites in its rising movement coils 54. The signal 
of coils 54 is passed to amplifier 59 (FIG. 19b) from which it activates 
relay 62 associated with pairs of servo-valves 57 for rams 50 which shut 
or open a number of shutters 29 close to the ground as the respective 
correction requires. These coils 54 are placed at known heights where 
there are known corrections and each circuit activates rams 50 of shutters 
29 as its height requires, including the shutters operated by previous 
coil 54. That means if a coil 54 has operated the shutters opening 4 
windows and the next coil 54 has to operate the shutters to open 6 windows 
according to the amended line of thrusts, it is programmed to open only 
the difference, in fact two windows, and so on. The position of coils 54 
depends also on the delay between the time the magnet 55 excites pick-up 
coil 54 and the time rams 50 shut shutters 29 effectively. When it is 
necessary to activate the shutters for less than six windows, pairs of 
windows will be activated disposed symmetrically to avoid the horizontal 
unbalanced loadings. This fact occuring close to the ground, the 
supplementary tensions in the cross section of the tower will be 
equilibrated by buttresses supporting the base of the columns. 
In conclusion the rising movement of the couple piston-rocket inside the 
tower is programmed by graphs of thrusts and open window areas (FIG. 14 
and FIG. 15) and controlled by magnets 36, 52 and 55 which are mounted 
inside piston 24. They control according to the pre-established programme 
the closing of windows and the firing of solid-propellant motors. It is 
evident that any other mechanical means may be used to accomplish the same 
programme. FIG. 19a, FIG. 19b and FIG. 19c are diagrams of the sensing and 
monitoring system employed in the present invention. The first controlls 
the windows of the upper division of the working-chamber, the second 
controlls the windows of the lower division of the working-chamber, and 
the third controlls the firing of solid-propellant motors. Each pick-up 
coil 40, 54 or 51 is a part of a control circuit comprising an amplifier 
56, 59 or 58 which receives a signal from its respective sensor. The 
amplifier is connected in line with relay 61, 62 or 63 to operate 
servo-valves 57 or igniters 53. A servo-valve 57 operates its 
corresponding rams 50 of shutters 29. 
Safe devices are necessary to ensure the correct development of thrusts 
beneath the bottom of piston 1 in order to achieve the amanded line of 
thrust (FIG. 14) and consequently a smooth increasing of accelerations in 
spite of any deficiency which could occur to the previously described 
devices which are programmed and prepared for take-off. Also, safe devices 
are necessary to ensure the security of the launching tower against any 
kind of events. In FIG. 20 the working-chamber is divided in two 
divisions: the upper division 64 having 80% of its standard area and the 
lower division having 20% of that area. For an easier control of the 
tower's devices, the lower division is divided by plane k--k in two equal 
subdivisions. Lower subdivision 65 was selected to be operated by pick-up 
coils 54 for known corrections of the amended line of thrusts. Subdivision 
65 has below it an equal area of closed windows 68 necessary for positive 
corrections. Subdivision 66 was selected for safe devices to ensure the 
correct development of thrust having above it closed windows 67 whose 
lowest part is used for positive corrections of safe devices. The safe 
devices are computer controlled. In FIG. 21 the apparatus is schematically 
shown activating so many windows as to correct the launching devices in 
order to ensure the launching path. Selector computer 69 is provided with 
a plurality of inputs 70. The inputs are: the heights of each series of 
windows and the corresponding desired pressures according to the amended 
line of thrusts (FIG. 14) as the bottom of piston 1 passes this series. 
The pick-up coils 71, one for each series of windows, excited by the 
magnet 72 feed, after suitable amplification 76 and shaping, selector 
computers 73 and 69. Every series of windows is also provided with a 
pressure pick-up 74 which inform selector computer 73 how heavily the 
pressure inside the tower is pushing the walls beneath the 
working-chamber. Pressure sensors 74 may be of any desired and 
conventional construction such as are disclosed in, "Electrical 
Measurements and Their Applications" by Walter C. Michels, D. Van Nostrand 
Co. Inc. Such gauges are calibrated and to compensate the temperature they 
are used in pairs as adjacent arms of the bridge circuit, or used four 
gauges as the bridge. When they are used four, two in diagonally opposite 
arms are placed parallel to the strain and the other two at right angles 
to this direction giving double sensitivity. The inductive gauges are 
better in this case because they are not as sensitive to temperature as 
are resistive gauges. The pressure sensors may be placed onto the inner 
face of columns 18 and arranged to send signals to selector computer 73. 
The selector computer 73 selects for each height registered by coils 71 
the corresponding pressure registered at that height by pressure pick-ups 
74 and informs the counter comparator 75 the instant pressure below the 
working-chamber. Concimitantly selector computer 69 informs counter 
comparator 75 the corresponding desired pressure for the achieved height. 
The counter comparator 75 compares these two pressures and sends a signal, 
which represents the difference of pressures with its sign, to 
digital-to-analog converter 77. Analog divider 78 has an input 84 for a 
constant c which represents the corresponding increasing or decreasing of 
pressure for a pair of windows which are supplementary closed or open and 
is controlled from digital-to-analog convertor 77. Analog divider 78 
computes the number of pairs of windows to be closed or open as the sign 
is and feeds computer 79. Computer 79 contains the state of the windows of 
subdivision 66 permanently and the lowest part of closed windows 67 (FIG. 
20) which inform the computer 79 through its inputs 80. The information 
may be sent by the corresponding servo-valves or rams and their position 
or by any other means. The computer 79 controls through relays 81 
corresponding servo-valves 57 which activate rams 50 of shutters 29 to be 
closed or open in subdivision 66 or in the lowest part of closed windows 
67 as the sign is. Computer 83 is used to ensure the security of launching 
tower. This computer has an input for a constant n which represents the 
highest pressure for which the tower's structure was computed multiplied 
by a safety factor e.g. 1.15 and it is informed by pressure pick-ups 74 
about the corresponding pressure for each series of windows already 
registered by inputs 89. Computer 83 compares the information of pick-ups 
with the constant n and when one or more pressure pick-ups rises above the 
limit n the computer controls through relays 86 servo-valves 57 of 
corresponding rams 50 of shutters 29. 
Such a method and apparatus places the launching process under the control 
of computers which can quickly compute the pressure differences at any 
point and make the necessary corrections to keep the acceleration at the 
required levels. Such a method and apparatus is, of course, merely 
illustrated and described to enable one to understand the complete 
operation of the present invention and may, as will be evident to those 
skilled in this art, be readily modified and equivalents used. 
Accordingly, the disclosure should not be taken as being a limitation on 
the invention. The elements of the tower's structure as: columns, window 
frames, shutters and wings, are loaded by forces as a result of achieved 
pressures below the working-chamber, and by the reactions of 
solid-propellant motors mounted inside columns. The stresses in the 
elements of the tower as a result of such loads are common and they allow 
the accomplishment of this launching tower with the present known 
technology. The principles of the working-chamber is possible to be 
investigated in the laboratory. So that the shapes of the elements, the 
dimensions and the efficiency may be established by exact data. The whole 
system is possible to be investigated on a reduced scale, and even a real 
scale test load may be launched to allow enough safe launchings. The 
tower's motors are built being free of hard conditions imposed in the 
building of the rocket's motors, their mass not affecting the results. 
Finally, the system affords the precious advantage of being reused for 
rockets of different dimensions.