Appendix - Part B

Keywords: UFO, unidentified flying objects, Bible, flying saucers, prophecy, Paleo-SETI, ancient astronauts, Erich von Däniken, Josef F. Blumrich, Zecharia Sitchin, Ezekiel, biblical prophecy, spacecraft, spaceship, NASA, Roswell, aircraft, propellant, extraterrestrial hypothesis, Jacques Vallee, interdimensional hypothesis, Project Blue Book, Condon Report, ancient history, Jesus, Judaism, Christianity, Middle East, end times, engines, rockets, helicopters, space travel, aliens, abductions, alien abductions, crop circles, extraterrestrials, astronomy, economics, biology, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Space Shuttle, Apollo, stars, planets, solar system, scriptures, design, fuel tank, aerodynamics, fuels, hydrogen, oxygen, wheels

Appendix

2. The propellant tank

    The location of this tank within the main body is shown in Fig. 16. Depending on available manufacturing processes, its sides will either run parallel to the outside contour or be built up of conical rings the slope of which is adapted to the optimum curve. Space for stiffening structures, insulation, pipes, and cables must be provided between the surface and the tank.  [p.151]

Figure 16 Cross section of main body and propellant tank

Figure 16a Cross section detail

    Because of the small diameter of the lower bulkhead, its location has no significant influence on the tank volume and consequently on the location of the upper bulkhead. The latter is indicated in Fig. 16 by a straight line. That does not mean that the bulkhead is actually flat, which would make it unacceptably heavy. An elliptical profile, which is almost exclusively used for bulkheads today, would likewise not be feasible for weight reasons, due to the large diameter. However, design principles have been known for years now that render bulkheads of low depth (References 15, 16 and 17). Structures of that kind would extend beyond the indicated straight line by only a small amount. The possible introduction of structural ties between the bulkhead structure and that of the upper part of the spaceship will result in further weight savings.

    The large empty volume above the tank has been reserved for the various auxiliary systems. Free space is also left between the maximum tank diameter and the vehicle surface; it was considered necessary for the accommodation of various ducts and cables as well as for the attachment structures and rotating mechanisms of the helicopter units. That space, furthermore, provides the necessary accessibility of all these elements for maintenance purposes, etc. To simplify the analysis, a constant ratio of tank diameter D_b and distance d (Fig. 16) to the maximum diameter of the vehicle was introduced. That made it possible to express the tank volume as a function of that diameter:

    V = 0.0963D³

3. The plug nozzle

    The possibility of subdividing the plug nozzle into segments suggests a potential deviation from the arrangement described so far. Instead of a continuous nozzle near the "tip" of the lower part it would be possible to arrange several separated segments in the vicinity of the maximum vehicle diameter. Such an arrangement would have the advantage of a drag reduction of the upper side of the spacecraft during ascent by influencing the airflow around the rim. In a vehicle as shown in Fig. 4 this option would be uneconomical because of the great distance from the reactor and the consequently long lines it would require. In small spacecraft (see Fig. 24) that disadvantage does not exist, and such an arrangement would therefore be possible.

4. The helicopters

    On page 165 we see the direct dependence of the power requirement, and the weights affected by it, on the rotor diameter. Using the configuration of Fig. 4 as a reference, we could therefore investigate potential weight reduction of the entire vehicle as a result of an increase of the rotor diameter. The latter can be achieved by changing the shape of the main body (lower height, larger diameter) or—without changing the main body—by introducing outrigger-type structures to carry the helicopters. The important aerodynamic conditions for the rotor blades would of course have to be considered in all such variations. In any case, the concave form of the lower part of the main body permits substantial variations of the arrangement of these major elements relative to each other because of its natural compatibility with the helicopter requirements. After all, it is that very geometrical compatibility which makes such a design feasible in the first place.

    A brief remark, finally, concerning the column connecting helicopter and main body. It is essentially a cylindrical shell structure. Its diameter is large enough to provide a passageway for crew translation on its inside. The upper end leads into the free space inside the rim of the main body (Fig. 16 and page 152). In combination with a suitable layout of the lower part of the helicopter body, a passageway between ground and command capsule can thus be provided.  [p.153]

5. The wheels