Abstract: According to one contemplated embodiment of the rocket engine invention, water is first pumped from a water tank through a rocket nozzle cooling heat exchanger wherein it is evaporated into said superheated steam. A generator supplies electricity to an electrolyzer that electrolyzes superheated steam into gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen. The gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen is employed for forming an annular curtain of secondary combustion in a divergent rocket engine. The secondary combustion gas surrounds a central thrust of combustion gas produced in an upstream combustion chamber by a primary injection of hydrogen/oxygen supplied from a liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. The rocket liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank are pressurized by gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen generated by the electrolyzer.

Abstract: An autonomous vehicle having a primary navigation system for controlling the direction of the vehicle as it travels across the landscape. In addition, the present invention has a pedestrian protection subsystem to supplement the navigation system using a real-time pedestrian protection subsystem. The pedestrian protection subsystem includes a processor, memory and a detector system for scanning the landscape to locate human breathing patterns. The detector system in one preferable embodiment may be a radar unit.