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REFERENCES

Air Force Times, 12 June 1978

Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 1976, p.111

Biss, Visvaldis, "Phase Analysis of Standard and Molybdenum-Modified Mar-M509 Superalloys," J. Testing & Evaluation, May 1977

Bova, Ben, "Magnetohydrodynamics," Analog, May 1965

Clarke, Arthur, Report on Planet Three and Other Speculations (N.Y.: Signet Books, 1973)

Committee on Advanced Energy Storage Systems, Criteria for Energy Storage Research & Development (Washington, D.C., N.A.S., 1976)

Compressed Air, April 1978

Fairchild Republic Co., Data release on A-10, 1978

Ing, Dean, "Mayan Magnum," Road & Track, May 1968

Marion, R.H., "A Short-Time, High Temperature Mechanical Testing Facility," J. Testing & Evaluation, January 1978

McPhee, John, The Curve of Binding Energy (N.Y.: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1974)

O'Neill, Gerard, The High Frontier (N.Y.: Bantam Books, 1978)

Owen, J. I. H. (ed.), Brassey's Infantry Weapons of the World (N.Y.: Bonanza Books, 1975)

Pretty, R. T. & D. H. R. Archer (eds.), Jane's Weapon Systems (London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1974)

Raloff, Janet, "U.S.-Soviet Energy Pact," Science Digest, February 1976

Rosa, Richard, "How to Design a Flying Saucer," Analog, May 1965.

Saunders, Russell, "Clipper Ships of Space," Astounding, May 1951

Singer, Charles et al, A History of Technology, Vol. I (N.Y.: Oxford University Press; 1954)

 

MILLENNIAL POSTSCRIPT

Because every general wants better whiz-bangs, I would never have guessed what the Air Force would predict, in 1999, about our bomber force of the year 2040. They said that the venerable BUFF, or Boeing B-52, would still be in service! It first flew in 1952 and soon got a pet name from its looks: big, ugly, and fat. They claim BUFF means Big, Ugly, Fat Fellow, but that's window-dressing. You can guess what the final "F" really stands for.

I got high-speed watercraft right. For some years now, according to Jane's High-Speed Marine Craft, water-skimmers capable of 100 mph have been darting about in Russia and Germany, and others are catching up. Check on the German "Jorg" series for an eye-opener.

As for tiny vehicles, they now have a generic name: Micro-UAV (for Unpiloted Aerial Vehicle). Some fly, but some walk, and a few fit in a shirt pocket. Soon, radio-controlled mites may be pocket-sized, and yes, some may be self-controlled with surveillance capability. Takeover by the bugs is an old SF theme, but these bugs are being built with microchips. Microfluidic chips are inevitable.

Even though I got no mail about this from alert techies, let me disavow what I said about using fluorine as fuel with hydrogen. The exhaust would be hydrogen fluoride, horrendously corrosive stuff which will eat almost anything, including glass. Bad idea; what was I thinking? Let me put it a better way. What? Was I thinking?

 

 

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