Slashdot Mirror
British Rail's Flying Saucer
Dynamoo writes "The Register is carrying a story about a patent for a fusion powered spacecraft filed by British Rail in the 1970s. While the concept may seem silly for a public railway, it seems that the British Rail Research Division employed a large number of aircraft engineers who presumably had some spare time between projects such as the Advanced Passenger Train."
Unfortunately, the Fluxcapacitor has already been patented (Fig. 1 & 2).
My work here is dung.
This design was made in 1965.
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
The fusion powered spacecraft is delayed due to a signal failure at Camden Town. Passengers are advided to board the next fusion power spacecraft and change at Saturn.
"The thermonuclear fusion will take place in a series of pulses, each pulse being triggered by laser energy, and/or energetic particles reflected from a previous pulse. The system will be arranged so that the fusion process will decay after each pulse so that the stability of the system is maintained."
After using the saucer, you are so full of radiation that you will begin to glow green.
This is helpful when trying to reproduce all aspects of 'alien' saucer lore, as well as to scare the crap out of your neighbours.
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
The BR time dilation effects may be useful for interstellar travel.