posted 12-13-2005 05:36 PM            

Like Scaled Composites secretive sub orbital vehicle operations and Bigelow Corporation operations , SC1 is also assembled under very tight security and very little technical detail is being revealed or divulged at this time.

The main body is said to be roughly rectangular - akin to a pallet truck - such that it can accept parcels of differing sizes. Landing skids are fitted - rather than wheels - such that the vehicle can land and take off from many different runways whether they be paved runways or just sandy strips. This will enable it to operate out of such diverse areas such as large cities or small, desert hamlets and everything in between.

An unusual feature is said to be that the propulsion units are fitted in series-parallel ahead of the vehicle - basically 'pulling' the cargo vehicle onto its flight path. In an effort to make the reusable vehicle eco-friendly the propulsion units are rumoured to use biodegradable propellants. These propellants must be generally available worldwide - at the landing sites - to help keep running costs low . After much research root crops seemed to be the answer - such as carrots and beetroot - according to a company insider who leaked the general technical details to us. Propulsive waste products are packaged onboard by a small unit into small pellets . A small flexible unit - said to be bladder shaped - collects waste fluid . The waste pellets and fluids are discharged at regular intervals along the flight path. Efforts are being made to create pellet collection depots whereby the pellets could be used in localised agricultural co-ops as fertiliser compounds.

Another unusual feature of the vehicle is that the cockpit is open - like early aircraft cockpits - for the lone pilot. This arrangement promises considerable weight saving - and therefore extra cargo to be carried as well as giving the pilot unparalleled views of the flight path. Following the tradition set by the first man in space,Yuri Gagarin - who wore boots, an orange tunic overall with white helmet and other trimmings - the SC1 pilot will wear strong flight boots and a large red tunic with white trimmings. The pilot will be allowed to partake of refreshments during the many cargo delivery stops to help him maintain his body fluids and energy. To control the propulsion units and steer the vehicle he has been provided with fly-by-wire type cables (straps as the PR man put it) which are bundled into several interconnected harnesses for fail-safe redundancy. An unusual feature is a large red button-like on the nose of the front propulsion unit. Operation of this button enables quick trajectory changes to be undertaken by the pilot .

The manufacturer's PR man promised that cargoes could be delivered to destinations in any and every country in the world within 24 hours by SC1. He further stated that this is not a wild claim and that many vehicle proving flights had already demonstrated this capability. However, many of the journalists dismissed this report as "hype" since no-one had witnessed these flights as they were usually carried out at night - in almost stealth-like conditions.

The PR man added that the next fully-laden,all-up cargo flight will take place before the end of the year with the late night of December 24th and early December 25th being the most likely attempt - since normal air traffic will be at a minimum due to the worldwide Christmas holidays . As this is the Christmas season the company has labelled the pilot "Father Christmas".

News report by Phill Parker,Newcastle,Staffs,UK based on a article by A.N.Elf at the SC1 launch pad, just off Sleigh Bells Ring road ,St.Nicholas's Precept, Zip code 251205 .