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Author: john0714john0714 Date: Nov 15, 2006 09:31
In several sci-fi movies and TV shows such as "Forbidden Planet",
"Lost in Space" , and "The Twilight Zone", vehicles manned by Earth
people travelling in deep space are of "classic" flying saucer design.
Is such a design feasble in the real world for space travel? Any
particular advantages to it? I think in some flicks flying saucers,
either of terrestrial or extra terrestrial originion rotate at least
the rim constantly while in flight.
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Author: ianparker2ianparker2 Date: Nov 15, 2006 12:37
john0714 wrote:
> In several sci-fi movies and TV shows such as "Forbidden Planet",
> "Lost in Space" , and "The Twilight Zone", vehicles manned by Earth
> people travelling in deep space are of "classic" flying saucer design.
> Is such a design feasble in the real world for space travel? Any
> particular advantages to it? I think in some flicks flying saucers,
> either of terrestrial or extra terrestrial originion rotate at least
> the rim constantly while in flight.
No not for space travel. The disc aircraft has been experimented upon
by a number of terrestrial investigators, including the Germans in WW2.
A number actually flew but all were abandoned for one reason or
another.
The Coanda effect means that a rotating airflow will cause lift. It
does this according to Bernoulli's equation - exactly the same as for
normal fixed wing flight. The problem then is to create a stable
rotating airflow. A number of aircraft have achieved just that.
http://www.rexresearch.com/wingless/wingless.htm
Disc aircraft have a number of advantages and disadvantages.
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Author: jsavardjsavard Date: Nov 15, 2006 14:29
john0714 wrote:
> Is such a design feasble in the real world for space travel? Any
> particular advantages to it?
While AVRO experimented with an aircraft with a flying saucer shape,
no, this shape is not suitable for any known means of propulsion for
space.
But since flying saucers were sighted, a science-fiction story might
use a future human spaceship shaped like a flying saucer to indicate:
a) We discovered ourselves what the aliens now watching us know, and
b) the saucer works on the basis of a future antigravity or inertialess
drive, *not* on the known technology of rockets, for which that shape
is unsuitable.
John Savard
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Author: Allen ThomsonAllen Thomson Date: Nov 15, 2006 15:24
> In several sci-fi movies and TV shows such as "Forbidden Planet",
> "Lost in Space" , and "The Twilight Zone", vehicles manned by Earth
> people travelling in deep space are of "classic" flying saucer design.
> Is such a design feasble in the real world for space travel? Any
> particular advantages to it? I think in some flicks flying saucers,
> either of terrestrial or extra terrestrial originion rotate at least
> the rim constantly while in flight.
One has the impression that the shape, to the extent it isn't just
intended to look cool and resonate with UFOvian memes, is associated
with the unknown/imaginary propulsion mechanism. Or maybe the
unknown/imaginary "artificial gravity" inside the ship needs that
geometry.
Other than that, the only thing that comes to mind is that a saucer has
a large surface/volume ratio. Maybe you'd want that surface for
sensors, as a radiator, or something like that.
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Author: Thomas Lee ElifritzThomas Lee Elifritz Date: Nov 15, 2006 16:10
Allen Thomson wrote:
>> In several sci-fi movies and TV shows such as "Forbidden Planet",
>> "Lost in Space" , and "The Twilight Zone", vehicles manned by Earth
>> people travelling in deep space are of "classic" flying saucer design.
>> Is such a design feasble in the real world for space travel? Any
>> particular advantages to it? I think in some flicks flying saucers,
>> either of terrestrial or extra terrestrial originion rotate at least
>> the rim constantly while in flight.
>
> One has the impression that the shape, to the extent it isn't just
> intended to look cool and resonate with UFOvian memes, is associated
> with the unknown/imaginary propulsion mechanism. Or maybe the
> unknown/imaginary "artificial gravity" inside the ship needs that
> geometry.
Have you considered that they may be *very lightweight* and thus do not
require any unknown/imaginary artificial gravity. On the other hand,
assuming they came a great way across the universe or the galaxy, or
another dimension, then perhaps they have a reasonable handle on laws of
physics, and aren't acting like they still live in the American West.
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Author: ianparker2ianparker2 Date: Nov 15, 2006 16:21
Thomas Lee Elifritz wrote:
There is only one possibility AI on the Web.
- Ian Parker
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Author: Fred J. McCallFred J. McCall Date: Nov 15, 2006 16:27
ianparker2@ gmail.com wrote:
:
:Thomas Lee Elifritz wrote:
:> Whatever could it be? I'm guessing it's one on one.
:>
:> http://cosmic.lifeform.org
:
:There is only one possibility AI on the Web.
More like AS (Artificial Stupidity)...
--
"Some people get lost in thought because it's such unfamiliar
territory."
--G. Behn
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Author: Thomas Lee ElifritzThomas Lee Elifritz Date: Nov 15, 2006 16:30
> Thomas Lee Elifritz wrote:
>> Whatever could it be? I'm guessing it's one on one.
> There is only one possibility AI on the Web.
That's one possibility, another is that they are still rolling on the
floor laughing their asses off. That would interfere with their work.
http://cosmic.lifeform.org
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Author: ianparker2ianparker2 Date: Nov 15, 2006 17:09
Fred J. McCall wrote:
> ianparker2@ gmail.com wrote:
>
> :
> :Thomas Lee Elifritz wrote:
> :> Whatever could it be? I'm guessing it's one on one.
> :>
> :> http://cosmic.lifeform.org
> :
> :There is only one possibility AI on the Web.
>
> More like AS (Artificial Stupidity)...
> I presume from that that you do not agree with the existance of aliens.
Nor in point of fact do I. Reducto ad absurdam is a common way of
proving things in mathematics. AI "proves" that alien abduction etc.
etc. and everything except AI on the Web is a load of rubbish.
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Author: dumpster4dumpster4 Date: Nov 15, 2006 18:53
There have been proposals for Disc-shaped UAV's in the past:
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/002723.html
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001472.html
And if you go to this site:
http://spyplanes.blogspot.com/2006/11/aero-news-11106.html
and scroll down a bit, you'll get to this part:
"The active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar antenna is to be
bonded to the hull of an unmanned airship. From an altitude of
65,000-70,000 ft., the array would transmit both on UHF (for
low-bandwidth communications and long-range surveillance) and X-band
(for high-resolution radar capable of finding very small targets) to
the horizon, about 400 naut. mi. The antenna would be associated with
Darpa's Integrated Sensor Is Structure (ISIS) program, which also is
studying saucer-shaped airships. "
Imagine all the UFO reports any of these things would generate if they
were deployed.
:)
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