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The Saturday Comics: Flying Saucers

13 Aug

August 13, 2011

Today we’ll take a look at something that combines a quartet of my interests: comic books, toys, flying saucers, and old ads. I have a sampling of ads and articles about do-it-yourself flying saucers and home-made spaceships for you this week.

Exciting! Fun! Low Cost! A great father and son project! And powered by an ordinary vacuum cleaner motor! Sign me up! Never mind that I’ve owned vacuums that have had trouble getting a stubborn piece of lint out from under the bed, I am sure this thing can really lift 200 pounds. Who am I to argue? I am just some guy with logic and a background in engineering.

But I am sure that free inventors calendar is really cool.

Before you say “it’s a Frisbee,” let me explain the principle of differential expansion.

Differential expansion is a phenomenon peculiar to rotors and rotating discs which causes tilt based on the effect of weight or gravity upon the rotating object. It is a natural phenomenon observable in helicopter rotors, steam engines, and Frisbees.

Now you can say “it’s a Frisbee.”This one is a model, and speaking as a man who built a ton of models in his youth, it is a pretty boring model. What is that, three pieces? According to the ad it can be flown with a motor. I doubt that. That is highly unaerodynamic, and it is made of balsa wood. There isn’t enough weight to it. It also “flies extremely well as a glider.” I think it would make a better Frisbee.

But I love the price, 2/6 plus purchase tax. What country uses nomenclature like 2/6 for pricing?

Now this clears things up a bit. the only problem is, the third column starts with “launching is done by your assistant.” Assistant? What is this, the Lockheed Skunk Works? At any rate, a propeller in the front is a better design than a jet in the back. And this one seems like more fun to build since it is mostly homemade. But overall, I really like the article’s lingo. “After Air Trails ran the ‘Saucy Saucer’ flying control line whizzeroo…” All we need is Stan Lee to blurt out “Excelsior!”

Thank you Wham-O! They may call it a “Pluto-Platter” but they don’t pretend it is anything but a 79 cent Frisbee, even if they do pretty it up with the “Scientific airfoil” guff. I love the “Flying Saucer Horseshoe Game.” Two Frisbees and a pair of sticks for $4.98.

Here’s where I’d rather spend my $4.98. And the 10-day free trial? Who needs it? In ten days I’ll already be on Mars.

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Picture Postcard: Neumayer Station Antarctica

9 Aug

August 9, 2011

This eerie picture was taken from a webcam in Antarctica. It looks like a sci-fi base but it is a real research base, Neumayer Station. Here is the summary from

http://www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/stations/neumayer.shtml

Nationality: Germany

Location: Ekström Shelf Ice, Atka Bay, northeast Weddell Sea

Position: 70°39’S, 08°15’W

History: The first “Georg von Neumayer” Station in the Antarctic was established in 1981 on the Ekström Shelf Ice as a research observatory for geophysical, meteorological and air chemistry measurements, as well as a logistics base for summer expeditions. Georg von Neumayer, whom the station is named after, was an important promoter of Germany’s research activities in Antarctica. The new station, inaugurated on February 20th, 2009, was built to modern standards and with state-of-the-art technology, will enable the continuation of long-term measurements by the scientific observatories for meteorology, geophysics and atmospheric chemistry, as well as the establishment of new research projects.

Information: The snow-covered Neumayer Station is located on shelf ice that is 650′ (200m) thick and almost completely flat. All that can be seen from the distance are the towers of the station entrance, which project 6-7′ over the snow. The shelf ice margin, where supply ships moor, is 6 miles (10k) away. The station consists of two parallel steel tubes, each of which is 26′ (8m) in diameter and around 300′ (90m) long, in which containers are inserted to accommodate living quarters, kitchen, mess, hospital, various laboratories, workshops, radio operator’s room, sanitary facilities, two power supply stations and a snow melting plant.

Science: A research observatory for geophysical, meteorological and air chemistry measurements as well as atmospheric ozone monitoring.

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