Go Green, Alien Style
July 25, 2007 by Lauren
We've seen a rapidly-increasing number of attempts at "going green" lately, backed by the huge population looking to buy off their global warming woes. This is one of the goofier methods I've seen/heard to date, and I'm having trouble taking it seriously. Here's a quote to sum up the new-age flying concept at hand:
"I want to get rid of the image of a cylindrical body with wings," said
Etnel Straatsma of Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands.
Now what does that make me say?
"Good luck."
The image of flight probably isn't changing anytime soon. Nonetheless, there are some new tries on the rise, including the UFO approach that you'll see here today. This flying saucer 'plane of the future' is supposed to be much more eco-friendly, created by people who've considered bringing back the propeller plan for the sake of the environment. The big picture is utilizing lighter materials and funky shapes with the goal of getting
the carbon usage down to less than 50% of current planes.
The challenge, apparently, lies in the fact that modern planes are already close to maximally
optimized (well we should hope so). Flying releases the equivalent of
about 1 pound of carbon dioxide per mile per passenger, which is about
the same as driving a car the same distance. By 2050, it is said that air travel could account for 5 percent or more of the total
warming affect, according to a 1999 report by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change. Clearly, we're very concerned about Carbon Dioxide emission.
Aside from radical, timely potential solutions, there are alternatives to what we're already doing. One interesting suggestion involved essentially launching cruise ships in the sky. This means putting vacationers on slower flights to save fuel while starting their party on board. Also, it's been suggested that we simply put more people on each plane. This would be accomplished by extending flight seating into the plane's wings. However, there are concerns that sitting there will result in a wobbly ride, not to mention this capacity won't work on every route.
Whatever the verdict is, flight should be changing. The changes made just might include a routine ride on the flying saucer.
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