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FLYING SAUCERS
Since B-movies hit the silver screen in the 1950s, the vehicle of choice for discerning aliens has been the flying saucer. Looking like a cross between a metal hubcap and a glow-in-the-dark frisbee, these strange spacecraft have fascinated us for decades.
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Even if you think the Roswell incident is fantasy, there's still a chance you may see a flying saucer in the not-too-distant future. However, rather than carrying extra-terrestrials, saucers may transport you around the Earth or even to the Moon.
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| Not for the faint-hearted |
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The crew on the prototype craft would need to be encased in liquid-filled escape
pods to protect them from the extreme G-forces they would experience. |
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Lightcraft
The laser-powered 'Lightcraft' is the latest in alternative spacecraft design. The craft's shiny surface reflects and focuses a laser beam into a ring, heating up the surrounding air to a temperature five times hotter than the surface of the Sun. The resulting explosion thrusts the saucer forward.
The advantage of this power system is that the Lightcraft doesn't need to carry onboard fuel. Laser light could be beamed up from Earth. However, before you start booking yourself in for a spin, the current prototype is only 12cm across and climbs just 71m in about 13 seconds.
The Future of Lightcraft
Currently the craft is very small and noisy, but NASA has drawn up plans for a 20m microwave-powered saucer, which could carry up to 12 people to the Moon in just six hours. Power would be harvested by solar panels, housed on a lunar orbiting power station. Microwaves created from the solar energy would be beamed straight to the Lightcraft to power its lunar trip.
Once the saucer nears its destination, the crew will have to slow the ship down by steering through a series of ring-shaped electromagnets on the Moon, before touching down on the lunar surface.
Outlandish it may sound, but the scientific principles behind the craft have already been demonstrated and the technologies are within reach. However, only the brave would take the test flight. The crew on the prototype craft would need to be encased in liquid-filled escape pods to protect them from the extreme G-forces they would experience.
Our best bet for travelling deeper into space is to get out the cosmic compass and set sail for the stars.
