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Click Here or use your Back Button to Return to Photos Page. To give you the true history, when I sent in my sketches of
the SR-71 and other vehicles, I also included some that I knew were too
futuristic, and aerodynamically "too noisy" to be used inside
the earth's atmosphere, or for them to ever actually be built or fly. At least
not by our government or not in our lifetime. So I gave instructions in the
margins for agencies like
Surely you will recognize these being used in the first three
"Star Wars" movie episodes (4,5,6). This first one became known as the A-wing, and was a basic wedge form.
This cross shape became known as the B-wing. The cockpit is at
one end - AND it rotates. The wings fold up & down from cruise to attack
position. The rotating cabin allows the vehicle to spiral in during attack,
appearing off-centered to the enemy, making it more difficult to hit.
After the A and B wing systems, we come to the X and Y vehicles. First we see the X-wing with the wings almost closed, and then separated into attack position.
Next we have the Y-wing with the wings folded. This may have had a different name in the movies. They were to hang like bats in a cave until launch.
For my next "science project", we see the ships that I designed
with electrostatic drive. These became known as TIE Fighters. If you look closely you can see the wire mesh electric
fence in the wing area used for propulsion. The electrostatic waves generated by
the mesh would bounce
off the round magnetic ball in the center, and the pulses would be sequenced as
needed to give propulsion, forward & back, up & down. My notes in the
margins with arrows pointing to various features explained all this.
You may have noticed there were two or more versions of TIE in the movies, called fighters and interceptors. The notches in the wings look more fearsome and would usually be reserved for the commanding pilot in the group. Another segment of this science project was to incorporate a fly by wire cabin that can rotate to anticipate and absorb G-forces. If you watch the first three movies closely and know what to look for; you will see it happening in this vehicle and in the B-wing cross shaped system. The pilot crams the wheel and just the cabin rotates at first, then the body of the vehicle moves in a rapid roll, and then you might see the cabin adjusting its speed again at the end of the roll or banking maneuver. This was to prevent pilots from blacking out.
The picture below was "borrowed" from a
different web site at a .edu college address, so it was
probably borrowed from someone else.
Called the Millennium Falcon in the movies, it is basically a horseshoe magnet, induction propulsion with a fuselage wrapped around the magnet. Could put the cabin anywhere on this one. Have to put it somewhere.
Maybe one of these days I will tell you about the basic
science I used as the principle idea for the SR-71 body shape. Seeing something
in a daily life situation from a different industry and then re-adapting that principle to something else
entirely in the aerospace sector. Thank You, and
Some other items that might be of interest. At the time I
created the SDI project, people were complaining about the younger generation.
So I thought it would be good to make TV shows that would help what was called
the MTV generation, to train and learn about current military systems. And to
help push the technologies down from aerospace to automotive, for defense
contractors to add more sales in their commercial sector. Things such as
heads-up displays, radar proximity detection systems, ejection seats, night vision, voice
controls, etc.
It might still be science fiction, but part of being
involved with the future of the space program has to do with going out to mine
the asteroid belt and bringing back materials for human consumption here on the
resource-depleted earth.
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