Towards the Sun with the help of atomic engines: The USSR wanted to move the Earth

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

In the early 1950s, on a wave of euphoria from the "domestication of the atom", the famous Soviet scientist general, an admirer of Tsiolkovsky's ideas, Georgy Pokrovsky, figured out how to improve life on Earth. He proposed installing nuclear power plants at the South Pole or at the equator, which would knock our planet out of orbit and send it into free flight.

“Once charged with energy and minerals taken from other planets, it is possible to provide illumination and heating of the Earth in addition to the Sun and go to distant star systems to study and use them for the benefit of infinitely developing humanity,” Pokrovsky wrote.

Georgy Iosifovich Pokrovsky was born in 1901. In the mid-1920s, he was the head of the physics department at the Moscow Civil Engineering Institute and at the same time an admirer of Tsiolkovsky's ideas and eugenics. In 1928 he was admitted to the German Society of Physicists. In 1932 he was transferred to the Red Army as the head of the physics department of the Military Engineering Academy. Receives the rank of Major General of Engineering and Technical Service. Doctor of Technical Sciences.

Since 1936 Pokrovsky has been a member of the editorial board of the "Technology of Youth" magazine. He was considered the unofficial curator of Soviet science fiction writers by the People's Commissariat, and then the Ministry of Defense. Pokrovsky himself also writes science fiction stories under pseudonyms, as well as the author of more than a hundred fantastic paintings and illustrations for books and articles in scientific and technical journals. The obituary in the journal "Technology of Youth", # 3, 1979 said:

"Georgy Iosifovich Pokrovsky, a member of the editorial board of the journal since 1936, died suddenly. Professor Pokrovsky is known for numerous works in the field of technical physics, he is one of the founders of the theory of centrifugal modeling, which has received international recognition. We have left an extremely versatile, addicted person, whose energy amazed him He was the author of the first science fiction illustrations in the history of the magazine. Thanks to the keen eyes of Georgy Iosifovich Pokrovsky, his amazing sense of new, the readers of the magazine were able to visually imagine the space architecture of the future, the first reactor, a rocket station, unique and strange for their time thin-film structures ".

Mankind is threatened with "heat death" - the prophets of the end of the world once muttered. Someday the Sun will cool down, all energy sources will be used, life will freeze in cold space, the death of humanity will come.

Is it possible with modern knowledge to solve the problem of endless development of mankind? We can answer such a question clearly and firmly. Yes, even with our current knowledge it is possible to set such a task. And the solution to this task of the future could be carried out in several ways. The first way is to someday ensure the exploration of other planets by people using space rockets or other spaceships.

This method, undoubtedly, can be applied to the development of the planets of the solar system. The flight of individual rockets to other star systems, although in principle possible, but, due to the extremely long range, will be very long. People could travel on such a ship only if many generations change. Let's try to find another way. At first glance, he will seem too bold. But with the high development of technology in the distant future, such a solution is, in principle, feasible.

This solution is to transform our entire planet as a whole into a giant spaceship that will move not in orbit, but along the path outlined by man.

To control the motion of the Earth, it is possible to impart some acceleration to the globe using a huge jet engine, the axis of the nozzle of which coincides with the axis of the Earth. It is obvious that such an engine is conveniently located in Antarctica, in the South Pole region, aligning its axis with the Earth's axis. The conditions for space navigation will be strongly limited by such an installation of the engine, but it will be possible to more easily adapt the surface of the globe to those changes that will arise with the acceleration of the Earth's motion. These changes will manifest themselves in the form of a strong ebb tide in the southern hemisphere and an equally powerful ebb tide in the northern hemisphere.

With the help of a motor mounted on the axis of the globe, it is impossible to direct the Earth in any given direction. The installation will not be maneuverable enough. Another, more flexible way to control the Earth's movement is to install multiple jet engines in the tropics. In this case, the engines will be able to work alternately; at any given moment, the engine will be turned on, which has an axis that coincides with the direction of the Earth's motion along its orbit.

A very serious task is to preserve the Earth's atmosphere from being pulled in and thrown into space by jet jets of engines. The very design of such engines, which must operate on the basis of thermonuclear reactions, is undoubtedly a most difficult problem.

When approaching one or another planet, it is necessary to set the mode of motion of the Earth and another planet near the common center of gravity in such a way as to avoid the destruction of the planets from the action of forces of mutual attraction (tidal waves), as well as their collision with each other. Under these conditions, the Earth and the planet will circle one another at a relatively large distance. Through this gap, it will be possible to transfer heavy hydrogen (heavy water), uranium and other useful nuclear minerals to the Earth.

Charged with energy and minerals taken from other planets, it is possible to provide illumination and heating of the Earth in addition to the Sun and head to distant star systems to study and use them for the benefit of infinitely developing humanity.

There is a very long road from the first nuclear power plant to space-scale projects. But there are no boundaries for the power of the human mind.

In "Technology of Youth" No. 4 for 1959, Pokrovsky continues his ideas. In the article "Lift" into space, "he proposed to build a tower 160 km high, which, due to the strength and stability conditions, should have a horn-shaped shape, with a diameter of 100 km at the Earth and 390 m in space. The upper platform of the tower, made of polymer material and filled hydrogen, could carry a load of 260 thousand tons. Pokrovsky considered the main purpose of such a tower to be the installation of astronomical and astrophysical instruments outside the atmosphere.

In conclusion, he wrote: "If the tower is filled with helium, then balloons filled with hydrogen could rise to a great height. This could replace various types of elevators."

Towards the end of his life, Pokrovsky switched to more mundane ideas. For example, he designed a 1,000-ton nuclear all-terrain vehicle for the Arctic on paper. The general's last project was giant airships for Siberia with a carrying capacity of 300-350 tons. They were supposed to connect the most remote corners of northern Eurasia into a single transport network.