US 11,806,636 B1
Controllable kite configuration
Geoffrey Bland, Assawoman, VA (US); Joseph Bretthauer, Silver Spring, MD (US); Ted Miles, Onancock, VA (US); Kay Rufty, Boulder, CO (US); Douglas Stout, Byram Township, NJ (US); and Richard Cairncross, Philadelphia, PA (US)
Assigned to United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA, Washington, DC (US)
Filed by United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA, Washington, DC (US)
Filed on Sep. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/944,345.
Int. Cl. A63H 27/08 (2020.01); A63H 27/00 (2006.01)
CPC A63H 27/002 (2013.01) [A63H 27/08 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A kite system, comprising:
a single tether; and
a kite configured to operate aloft connected to only the single tether, the kite comprising:
a lifting surface, wherein the lifting surface is heavier-than-air;
an aerodynamic surface control system configured to adjust an attitude of the lifting surface while the kite is aloft;
an instrument system internal to the kite configured to gather data while the kite is aloft;
a power system located in the lifting surface of the kite system operably connected to the instrument system;
wherein the surface control system controls operation of one or more actuators to actuate one or more aerodynamic control surfaces includes a directional control surface, and a lateral control surface for adjusting an attitude of a lifting surface of the kite and for changing a direction and orientation of the kite while the kite is aloft; and
an attachment point connecting the single tether to the kite.