Translation:Alien theory txt/en

UFOpaedia Entry

Proposal

TO: Base Commander, PHALANX, Atlantic Operations Command

FROM: Cdr. Paul Navarre, R&D: Engineering Division, PHALANX, Atlantic Operations Command

DATE: %02i %s %i

SUB: UFO Theory

Commander, we've captured our first UFO of the war. I don't have to tell you that this is a unique research opportunity. However, before we can begin to think about studying it in-depth and dismantling it for parts, we need to do a broader overview of UFO construction as a whole. Are any of its systems still active or boobytrapped? What kind of materials is it made of? What dangers might it pose during storage or disassembly? All these questions and more need to be answered before we do anything further.

We're ready to start work whenever you say, but we will need some lab time and funding to make a proper assessment of this amazing technology.

--Cdr. Navarre

Result

TO: Base Commander, PHALANX, Atlantic Operations Command

FROM: Cdr. Paul Navarre, R&D: Engineering Division, PHALANX, Atlantic Operations Command

DATE: %02i %s %i

SUB: Re: UFO Theory

Commander, my team and I have finished our analysis of the UFO we captured. It's a real miracle of engineering, and we're all looking forward to getting a chance to sink our own hooks into all this lovely technology.

The craft's strange construction has raised a lot of questions for us to answer. Much of the design seems to make little sense when viewed from the ground. However, now that we've managed to look at it up close and personal -- and test the alien hull materials under laboratory conditions -- we have gained a far clearer picture of UFO capabilities. I've made a list of our most important discoveries.

-- The alien propulsion system is a type of rocket engine unlike any ever built on Earth. It uses direct matter-antimatter annihilation to generate thrust by injecting protons and antiprotons into the reaction chamber, then channeling this explosive force out the back of the engine. This gives a UFO extreme power and needs no air or other gases to fuel the reaction, allowing it to burn in hard vacuum. There is a highly-advanced cooling system continuously pumping liquid nitrogen through the engine housing in order to keep it cool and to reduce the infrared signature. Engine heat is also used to supply the craft's electrical needs.

-- The fuel tank is very, very small, measured in fractions of a gramme, but even so I nearly had a heart attack when we found out what was in there. If a containment loss occurred on one of these tanks, even three tenths of a gramme of this antimatter would outstrip the explosive force of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Naturally the tank is armoured and buried as deep as possible within the fuselage, and there are mechanical systems present to jettison the tank in an emergency, but they aren't perfect. A direct hit on the tank or the containment system could still cause an explosion. Much of the blast would be contained by the UFO's tough structure, but any explosion represents an extreme hazard to our interceptors. The only saving grace is that proton-antiproton explosions create little radioactive fallout.

-- The craft is extremely difficult to see with human detection equipment, regardless of any electronic warfare capability on the aliens' part. This is largely due to the hull materials which very effectively absorb all kinds of radiation. We've had the most luck with passive infrared and gamma radiation detection, as the antimatter-based engines produce quite a lot of both.

-- The slim design, generating poor lift and being difficult to handle in air, is partly due to the heavy weight of the hull materials. It would be impossible to create effective wings from the alien hull materials. Instead, every gramme of excess matter has been stripped off, and the craft moves at high speeds so as to need very little lift surface. The material itself is quite astonishing, part metal and part plastic polymer. It functions as a memory alloy, 'remembering' at least two assigned shapes, shrinking into a more compact form when cold but automatically stretching out and assuming a more comfortable flying shape once it heats up. It's stronger and tougher than any known material on Earth (barring pure carbon nanotubes) and far more versatile in aircraft design. More research is definitely required.

Armed with these facts, we can now begin to analyse the different components and roles of the UFO. I recommend that our engineers begin dismantling this craft for parts right away. Who knows what we'll discover with the individual bits and pieces in front of us?

More research on the UFO itself is also warranted. I think we can delve deeper into its intended function and perhaps gain some insight in how to counter its activities. I'll send you another proposal about it as soon as I can.

Whatever we end up learning from these craft, Commander, it can only help us in the fight for Earth.

--Cdr. Navarre

Research Tree Data

(This information for reference only; do not translate or include in-game.)

Prerequisites:
 1 UFO of any type in UFO Hangar

Opens:

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See also Vehicles & UFOs