Patent ID: 7556223

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: an aerospace vehicle having an exterior surface; and a vent in the aerospace vehicle, the vent comprising: a vent inlet surface that comprises a recessed portion of the exterior surface of the aerospace vehicle; and, a duct opening in the vent inlet surface for directing air from a local external air flow to an internal cavity in the aerospace vehicle, and for purging air from the internal cavity, wherein the vent inlet surface has a vent inlet surface shape that is concave with respect to the exterior of the aerospace vehicle, and has a major axis substantially parallel to a direction of the local external air flow, and a minor axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of the local external air flow, and wherein the vent inlet surface further has an oblique surface contour upstream of the duct opening with respect to the direction of the local external airflow and an oblique surface contour downstream of the duct opening with respect to the direction of the local external air flow, and wherein the vent inlet surface is rounded at an intersection of the vent inlet surface and the duct opening.