British Rail flying saucer
Encyclopedia
The British Rail flying saucer, officially known simply as space vehicle, was a proposed spacecraft
designed by Charles Osmond Frederick
.
.
, using laser
beams to produce pulses of nuclear energy in a generator in the centre of the craft, at a rate of over 1000 Hz
to prevent resonance
, which could damage the vehicle. The pulses of energy would then have been transferred out of a nozzle into a series of radial electrode
s running along the underside of the craft, which would have converted the energy into electricity that would then pass into a ring of powerful electromagnet
s (the patent describes using superconductors if possible). These magnets would accelerate subatomic particle
s emitted by the fusion reaction, providing lift
and thrust
. This general design was used in several fusion rocket
studies.
A layer of thick metal running above the fusion reactor would have acted as a shield to protect the passengers above from the radiation
emitted from the core of the reactor. The entire vehicle would be piloted in such a way that the acceleration
and deceleration of the craft would have simulated gravity in zero gravity conditions.
A patent
application was filed by Jensen and Son on behalf of British Rail
on 11 December 1970 and granted on 21 March 1973.
The patent lapsed in 1976 due to non-payment of renewal fees.
on 31 May 1978, in a story by Adrian Hope of the New Scientist
magazine. There was a further mention in The Daily Telegraph
newspaper on 11 July 1982, during the silly season
. The Railway Magazine mentioned it in their May 1996 issue and had a short section, saying that the passengers would have been "fried" anyway.
When the patent was rediscovered in 2006, it gained widespread publicity in the British press. A group of nuclear scientists examined the designs and declared them to be unworkable, expensive and very inefficient, with Michel van Baal of the European Space Agency
claiming "I have had a look at the plans, and they don't look very serious to me at all", adding that many of the technologies used in the craft, such as nuclear fusion
and high temperature superconductors, had not yet been discovered, while Colin Pillinger
, the scientist in charge of the Beagle 2
probe, was quoted as saying "If I hadn't seen the documents I wouldn't have believed it".
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
designed by Charles Osmond Frederick
Charles Osmond Frederick
Charles Osmond Frederick is a British engineer who worked on interaction of rails and wheels at the British Railway Technical Centre, Derby.Together with P.J. Armstrong he developed the Armstrong-Frederick plasticity models, which are applied in the theory of inelastic deformations...
.
Purpose
The flying saucer originally started as a proposal for a lifting platform. However, the project was revised and edited, and by the time the patent was filed had become a large passenger craft for interplanetary travelInterplanetary travel
Interplanetary spaceflight or interplanetary travel is travel between planets within a single planetary system. In practice, spaceflights of this type are confined to travel between the planets of the Solar System....
.
Design
The craft was to be powered by nuclear fusionNuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
, using laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
beams to produce pulses of nuclear energy in a generator in the centre of the craft, at a rate of over 1000 Hz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
to prevent resonance
Resonance
In physics, resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate at a greater amplitude at some frequencies than at others. These are known as the system's resonant frequencies...
, which could damage the vehicle. The pulses of energy would then have been transferred out of a nozzle into a series of radial electrode
Electrode
An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit...
s running along the underside of the craft, which would have converted the energy into electricity that would then pass into a ring of powerful electromagnet
Electromagnet
An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by the flow of electric current. The magnetic field disappears when the current is turned off...
s (the patent describes using superconductors if possible). These magnets would accelerate subatomic particle
Subatomic particle
In physics or chemistry, subatomic particles are the smaller particles composing nucleons and atoms. There are two types of subatomic particles: elementary particles, which are not made of other particles, and composite particles...
s emitted by the fusion reaction, providing lift
Lift (force)
A fluid flowing past the surface of a body exerts a surface force on it. Lift is the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction. It contrasts with the drag force, which is the component of the surface force parallel to the flow direction...
and thrust
Thrust
Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's second and third laws. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction on that system....
. This general design was used in several fusion rocket
Fusion rocket
A fusion rocket is a theoretical design for a rocket driven by fusion power which could provide efficient and long-term acceleration in space without the need to carry a large fuel supply. The design relies on the development of fusion power technology beyond current capabilities, and the...
studies.
A layer of thick metal running above the fusion reactor would have acted as a shield to protect the passengers above from the radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
emitted from the core of the reactor. The entire vehicle would be piloted in such a way that the acceleration
Acceleration
In physics, acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with time. In one dimension, acceleration is the rate at which something speeds up or slows down. However, since velocity is a vector, acceleration describes the rate of change of both the magnitude and the direction of velocity. ...
and deceleration of the craft would have simulated gravity in zero gravity conditions.
A patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
application was filed by Jensen and Son on behalf of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
on 11 December 1970 and granted on 21 March 1973.
The patent lapsed in 1976 due to non-payment of renewal fees.
Media attention
The patent first came to the attention of the media when it was featured in The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
on 31 May 1978, in a story by Adrian Hope of the New Scientist
New Scientist
New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
magazine. There was a further mention in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
newspaper on 11 July 1982, during the silly season
Silly season
The silly season is the period lasting for a few summer months typified by the emergence of frivolous news stories in the media. This term was known by the end of the 19th century and listed in the second edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and remains in use at the start of the 21st...
. The Railway Magazine mentioned it in their May 1996 issue and had a short section, saying that the passengers would have been "fried" anyway.
When the patent was rediscovered in 2006, it gained widespread publicity in the British press. A group of nuclear scientists examined the designs and declared them to be unworkable, expensive and very inefficient, with Michel van Baal of the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
claiming "I have had a look at the plans, and they don't look very serious to me at all", adding that many of the technologies used in the craft, such as nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
and high temperature superconductors, had not yet been discovered, while Colin Pillinger
Colin Pillinger
Colin Trevor Pillinger, CBE, is a planetary scientist at the Open University in the UK. He was the principal investigator for the British Beagle 2 Mars lander project, and has done much work studying a group of Martian meteorites.In May 2005 Pillinger was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.-Early...
, the scientist in charge of the Beagle 2
Beagle 2
Beagle 2 was an unsuccessful British landing spacecraft that formed part of the European Space Agency's 2003 Mars Express mission. All contact with it was lost upon its separation from the Mars Express six days before its scheduled entry into the atmosphere...
probe, was quoted as saying "If I hadn't seen the documents I wouldn't have believed it".