I think these patent applications are an interesting development. Why have REL decided to submit patents when previously they said they wouldn't? My guess is that it may have had to do with securing funding. Perhaps a major potential investor said they'd only invest if they felt that they could protect their investment from being upstaged by copy-cat designs ie have the technology protected by patents.
Another aspect is that they have to start thinking about who will make the bits. If they can't make absolutely everything themselves then it may be hard to hide all their secrets. Inference might be enough to help someone guess in the end.
Another aspect is that the more people they hire, the harder it has to be to ensure that no secrets could ever leak out. Someone leaves the company, having stumbled across something they should not know, for example. What can you do in such a case?
Another aspect is that the more interest they generate, the more attention they attract, the more some other clever people may be able to work out what they are doing anyhow.Finally, I can't imagine that REL haven't been the targets of some degree of espionage. Would any country with strategic interests in space not at least want to know if they were onto a good idea? The patents will at least make it clear what REL really did invent so that copycats can be sanctioned in some way.
Reaction Engines has just posted a news update on Mark Thomas joining the Board http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/news_updates.html
Quote from: Soundbite on 05/31/2015 09:38 pmReaction Engines has just posted a news update on Mark Thomas joining the Board http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/news_updates.htmlBump. Perhaps some of our Brits would care to comment?
Mark Thomas, CEng, FRAeSMark is Chief Engineer for Technology and Future Programmes in the Rolls-Royce Civil Large Engines Business. He leads the Engineering teams responsible for the exploration and concept design of next generation propulsion systems; also the execution of system level demonstrators to deliver innovative technologies meeting future product requirements.In 2014 Mark will celebrate 25 years with Rolls-Royce, joining the Company in 1989 as a sponsored Undergraduate trainee before completing an Engineering degree at Queens’ College, Cambridge University.Mark’s career started in the Rolls-Royce Defence Aerospace Business and he has completed a variety of Engineering and Management roles located in the UK and Germany.Notable roles have included Chief Development Engineer for the EJ200 (Typhoon) Engine, Programme Executive for UK Defence Research and Technology, Chief Engineer for the EJ200 (Typhoon), RB199 (Tornado) & Adour (Hawk/Jaguar) engine programmes, and Technical Director of the Eurojet Turbo GmbH consortium based in Munich. As a Chief Engineer in Defence, Mark was responsible for the support of around 3,000 engines worldwide with 25 Military Operators ranging from the US Navy to Royal Australian Air Force.In 2009 Mark moved to the Civil Aerospace Business in Derby to take up the role of Chief Engineer for the Trent 900 (Airbus A380), leading the team during an especially challenging three year period for the programme, working closely with Airbus and Airline Customers.Mark is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and also a Governor of a flourishing Engineering Academy. He mentors a number of engineers in Rolls-Royce and is a key member of the Rolls-Royce Senior Engineering Leadership team.Mark is married with two teenage sons and one daughter and lives in Leicestershire. Outside work he enjoys skiing, travel and reading.
The other speculation one could make is that he is being sent out as part of a kind of "deal" a bit like the Microsoft-Nokia thing with Stephen Elop. I only mention it because I experienced it. I don't know whether that would be a cheering thing or not. At least you can say that RE includes some people who have worked for Rolls Royce so presumably they know each other at least by reputation and that increases the possibility of things happening.
Quote from: t43562 on 06/05/2015 05:17 amThe other speculation one could make is that he is being sent out as part of a kind of "deal" a bit like the Microsoft-Nokia thing with Stephen Elop. I only mention it because I experienced it. I don't know whether that would be a cheering thing or not. At least you can say that RE includes some people who have worked for Rolls Royce so presumably they know each other at least by reputation and that increases the possibility of things happening. Nokia had serious problems with timely delivery and was in need of a good shake-up. However Stephen Elop was either a trojan with a not-so-secret mission to devalue Nokia to the point where Microsoft could buy it for peanuts, or he was a grotesquely incompetent charlatan being paid obscene amounts for negative results! Under his tenure every metric went drastically down; revenue, profit, unit sales, share price. For this he was rewarded with $18m bonus and a new VP position at Microsoft. Even now, after the purchase by the 800-lb gorilla and the associated benefits that brings, I still rarely see Nokia/Windows phones in the wild here in Germany/UK.I think Bond and co. are experienced enough (and wary enough) to avoid a debacle like Nokia's happening to REL. However I don't think they (Bond & Thomas) overlapped at RR so I sincerely hope there isn't some kind of predatory nature to Mark Thomas' appointment. It would be tragic for some Machiavellian skulduggery to strangle the Skylon in utero. Skylon may fail to fly, but if so that should be because very clever people failed to make the science work; not because some manager looks at some numbers in a spreadsheet, and decides to burn the place to the ground to "rescue" it.
The whole thing is pretty baseless speculation and the Nokia/Microsoft business was done to death at the time in the relevant forums without digging it up again here.
Quote from: Star One on 06/07/2015 08:12 amThe whole thing is pretty baseless speculation and the Nokia/Microsoft business was done to death at the time in the relevant forums without digging it up again here.The main message seems to me that Mark Thomas is a very senior and very serious engineer who knows how to build engines ...
Quote from: aameise9 on 06/07/2015 08:42 amQuote from: Star One on 06/07/2015 08:12 amThe whole thing is pretty baseless speculation and the Nokia/Microsoft business was done to death at the time in the relevant forums without digging it up again here.The main message seems to me that Mark Thomas is a very senior and very serious engineer who knows how to build engines ...And surely that's all that matters.
Quote from: Star One on 06/07/2015 12:43 pmAnd surely that's all that matters.No. The boss, unlike the chief engineer, also needs to be able to sell engines for a profit.
And surely that's all that matters.
Quote from: A_M_Swallow on 06/07/2015 04:07 pmQuote from: Star One on 06/07/2015 12:43 pmAnd surely that's all that matters.No. The boss, unlike the chief engineer, also needs to be able to sell engines for a profit.And raise a very significant amount of funding.And drive the formation of the airframe consortium.Without a single wealthy investor who can eliminate part of this funding issue fund raising is a pretty serious part of running a company like this to deliver the results within a reasonable time frame.
I've changed from saying - the answer is Skylon, now what's the question (for about 30 years) - until more more recent times (and on these threads) when I still say this, but... Elon Musk...When's European Space going to see reality slapping it hard in the face, bite the bullet and figure it's **** or bust? ULA are going to be decimated by SpaceX and they're not the only ones. China and Japan are reacting now too.
- PRESS RELEASE -Monday 15 June 2015Reaction Engines Ltd. have begun their latest round of rocket engine testing in Westcott, UK.