Space 1999 Eagle Transporter Forum
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Moonbase Alpha location
- Thread starter JasonA
- Start date
boatshewsd2
Alphans
Has To Be Somewhere...
:read:
Believe this one far predates the Internet: herewith link, via Catacombs, from Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook (Starlog):
http://catacombs.space1999.net/cybermuseum/MATN/matn1000.html
I started reading up some on Plato after seeing that; sounds like an interesting place - eg, smooth volcanic floor and no central peak! - and something of a cozy spot for our favorite Moonbase. Works for me!
:read:
Believe this one far predates the Internet: herewith link, via Catacombs, from Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook (Starlog):
http://catacombs.space1999.net/cybermuseum/MATN/matn1000.html
I started reading up some on Plato after seeing that; sounds like an interesting place - eg, smooth volcanic floor and no central peak! - and something of a cozy spot for our favorite Moonbase. Works for me!
boatshewsd2
Alphans
You're welcome!
If memory serves, amongst the early concepts for Space was something called Moon City, which would've been a really-big place - filling its crater-home all-but-to-the-brim!
An early Starlog issue (anyone remember which one?) had an article discussing this and other what-might've-been aspects of the series... :think:
Moonbase Alpha, as we all came to know it, certainly wouldn't have needed all that extra room (some 60-ish square miles); just a select "cozy corner" below Plato's mountainous rim, which ended up suiting it quite nicely!
Richard Baker
Alphans
Just wondering- how far from Plato to the far side of the Moon where they were servicing the nuclear waste storage?
pfleming@jbt.co.uk
Alphans
Piece of pi, anybody?
Richard, the Moon's diameter is 3475km, so the circumference right the way round is 3.14 x 3475km = 10911km. Assuming the Eagles are flying pretty close to the surface, and if Plato was exactly opposite NWA2 on the other side, the maximum distance an Eagle would have to travel (in a straight line) would be about 5500km.
That's still like flying across the USA from one side to the other but, as the Eagles were pretty fast, I don't suppose it would take them too long to cover that distance. Alpha would impose all sorts of safe cruising speeds and height regulations but, you can bet your bottom dollar, when that nice Mr Carter got round the far side he'd put his foot down and muck about a bit (well, perks of the job, surely??)
Hope this helps,
Patrick
Richard, the Moon's diameter is 3475km, so the circumference right the way round is 3.14 x 3475km = 10911km. Assuming the Eagles are flying pretty close to the surface, and if Plato was exactly opposite NWA2 on the other side, the maximum distance an Eagle would have to travel (in a straight line) would be about 5500km.
That's still like flying across the USA from one side to the other but, as the Eagles were pretty fast, I don't suppose it would take them too long to cover that distance. Alpha would impose all sorts of safe cruising speeds and height regulations but, you can bet your bottom dollar, when that nice Mr Carter got round the far side he'd put his foot down and muck about a bit (well, perks of the job, surely??)
Hope this helps,
Patrick
Richard Baker
Alphans
Thanks- just trying to get the relationships sorted out.
Since the Eagle's speed is mostly determined by the plot requirements, how long it takes to get to the storage site or a distant planet is hard to tell from what you see onscreen
Since the Eagle's speed is mostly determined by the plot requirements, how long it takes to get to the storage site or a distant planet is hard to tell from what you see onscreen
pfleming@jbt.co.uk
Alphans
How long is a piece of (Alphan) string....?
An Eagle's top speed is apparently around 15% of the speed of light, so at top speed it would travel the distance from the Earth to the Moon in about 8 seconds. Prior to "Breakaway", regular "domestic" flights would, I imagine, be flown at a tiny fraction of that velocity - by the time they reached midway they would have to start decelerating again. An Eagle would be able to cover the distance from the Earth to the Sun in just under an hour. We don't know how long it takes to accelerate to top speed, and "putting the foot down" would probably use a greater percentage of fuel over a shorter period of time.
As you say Richard, depending upon the level of jeopardy, an Eagle could either lumber along carrying nuclear waste, or get its occupants out of a tight spot very quickly.
Kindest regards
Patrick
An Eagle's top speed is apparently around 15% of the speed of light, so at top speed it would travel the distance from the Earth to the Moon in about 8 seconds. Prior to "Breakaway", regular "domestic" flights would, I imagine, be flown at a tiny fraction of that velocity - by the time they reached midway they would have to start decelerating again. An Eagle would be able to cover the distance from the Earth to the Sun in just under an hour. We don't know how long it takes to accelerate to top speed, and "putting the foot down" would probably use a greater percentage of fuel over a shorter period of time.
As you say Richard, depending upon the level of jeopardy, an Eagle could either lumber along carrying nuclear waste, or get its occupants out of a tight spot very quickly.
Kindest regards
Patrick
Probably fairly close. Since Alpha has to monitor the dumps, having them a full half Moon away makes it more difficult. Just over the edge, onto the Far Side, would make it easier, while still having them outside of vie from Earth. And since we saw the nuclear blast over Alpha, we can presume it wasn't all that far from the line.
That help?