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Til (| Wri lili directed beams. These orbital platforms would be located at an altitude of 310 miles (500km), they would have a diameter in excess of 0.62 miles (1 kilometre) and each would be capable of generating at least 20 gigawatts of power. The energy generated would then be utilised by a new form of trans- atmospheric vehicle that Myrabo called The Lightship. Various designs were studied, but Myrabo soon realised that a lenticular shape was ideal for this concept and he finally settled on a 65ft 7%in (20m)-diameter flying saucer, with accommodation for twelve passengers. The outer shell of the craft would be fabricated from a thin layer of silicon carbide film, which was transparent to microwave radiation. At the start of a journey the Lightship would lift off the ground, drawing on energy provided by its solar cells or from a space-based infra- red laser to ionise the air and move the vehi- cle by electrostatic discharges. However, this phase of the operation assumes a number of scientific advances which may not have been achieved by the mid-21st century, and the vehicle is more likely to be initially propelled by one or more ground-based lasers produc- FLIGHT DIRECTION AIM BEIWEEN KIM ELEUIKUUED CIRCUMFERENTIAL ELECTRODES ™ —_ RIM ELECTRODES lynamic on system o Lightship. Magnetohydrodynamic fanjet propulsion system used for Myrabo Lightship. Bill Rose 169 Raytheon orbital satellite designed to receive power from a ground-based microwave transmitter. Raytheon Proposed Raytheon system for power transmission to orbital spacecraft or satellite. Raytheon MHD (MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC) FANJET PROPULSION CURRENT APPLIED THROUGH AIR BETWEEN RIM ELECTRODES LORENTZ FORCE ACCELERATES AIR DOWNWARDS Exotic Propulsion Systems