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"There's no point in making a mistake unless you understand the mistake so that you don’t make it again."
- Alfred Bester
 |
| Water-Springs | ||
| Using water to cushion the living space of a spacecraft from the effects of acceleration. |
When the projectile is fired from the Columbiad, that mighty cannon, how will our intrepid explorers survive the shock? Water-springs!
| "Ah, it is you!" he cried at last. "I have found it, my friend,
I have found it!"
"What?" "My plan!" "What plan?" "The plan for countering the effect of the shock at the departure of the projectile!" "Indeed?" said Michel Ardan, looking at the captain out of the corner of his eye. "Yes! water! simply water, which will act as a spring-- |
| From From the Earth to the Moon,
by Jules Verne. Published by Various in 1867 Additional resources -
|
Later in the story, we get the details:
The projectile had now to be filled to the depth of three feet
with a bed of water, intended to support a water-tight wooden
disc, which worked easily within the walls of the projectile.
It was upon this kind of raft that the travelers were to take
their place. This body of water was divided by horizontal
partitions, which the shock of the departure would have to break
in succession. Then each sheet of the water, from the lowest
to the highest, running off into escape tubes toward the top of
the projectile, constituted a kind of spring; and the wooden
disc, supplied with extremely powerful plugs, could not strike
the lowest plate except after breaking successively the
different partitions. Undoubtedly the travelers would still
have to encounter a violent recoil after the complete escapement
of the water; but the first shock would be almost entirely
destroyed by this powerful spring. The upper parts of the walls
were lined with a thick padding of leather, fastened upon springs
of the best steel, behind which the escape tubes were completely
concealed; thus all imaginable precautions had been taken for
averting the first shock; and if they did get crushed, they
must, as Michel Ardan said, be made of very bad materials.
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Water-Springs-related
news articles:
- Shock Absorbers For Orion: NASA Turns To Verne
| NASA's Electric Motor Scooter |
| Extremophile Microbe Loves Space Rocks |
| Space Domes Over-rated? Science Fiction Authors Have Answers |
| NASA 'Broomstick' Recalls SciFi Ideas |
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