JAN (ALIEN) RÜKR'S AMAZING CONCEPT
OF THE "ICARUS" VEHICLE

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You will remember Jan Rukr's excellent paper models.  Now Jan has produced these images of what he feels the 'whole' Icarus vehicle looks like.  He also did a set of sequences for the opening scenes of the movie that we never saw, leading up to a very beliveable reentry scenario.

Jan invisions that the Icarus will have landing gear similar to the current American space shuttle, i.e. more like a conventional airplane than the more exotic skids seen on another design.  This would make sense for a hard tarmac recovery phase using a possible reuseable design.  Perhaps Icarus was the first of America's reuseable starships?

Jan also sends in two pictures of what his Icarus looks like in surface to orbit launch and then prior to launching the Icarus off on its journey.

The Icarus lifting off from Cape Kennedy, 1972.

The Icarus and booster in orbit.

How the Icarus would have returned to Earth after its decade long flight to Alpha Centauri.  Sadly, such was not to be...

I've also always said that there was a 'booster' section for the capsule that is jettisoned right before splashdown and apparently Jan Rukr thinks so as well.  The jet / warp engine sounds we hear mysteriously vanish after the Icarus does several loops, and then the uncontrolled flight becomes pretty much a straight line shot into the lake at a steep angle.  This instant, when the engine noise is silenced, is when I believe that whatever engines the Icarus had, it jettisoned and the capsule continued on alone.  Jan makes an interesting argument for this logic in his renderings below.

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Hi, Christopher...

It´s me again...JAN.

I´ve created in Auto Cad 2000... the ICARUS, as it possibly might have looked before it crash landed....so here it is:

BONUS PICTURE!   The Icarus at nearly the speed of light!

01) The ICARUS spaceship
fore

02) ICARUS spaceship
aft

03) ICARUS spaceship
underneath

04) Over the Earth.... Entering terminal recovery phase. 
Malfunction of the main computer.. left engine offline.

05) Icarus enters the atmosphere at the wrong angle... First indication of main flight
computer system failure.  Automatic reboot of primary flight computer begins.

06) Air foil braking system activated...  Note the left engine is still offline and may be damaged
as indicated by the black smoke being emitted from the nozzles and the engine housing itself.

07) Blazing thru the atmosphere, shedding speed against a failed reentry angle.
Port engine still offline and not responding.  Flight computer fails to reboot.

(08) Preparing automatic emergency separation of damaged engine section and crew capsule

09) Separation complete,,,,, the damaged engine section falls away as the Icarus capsule
continues its descent in a semi-controlled manner.  Icarus capsule now on full automatic.

10) Semi-controlled flight of the Icarus crew command capsule and emergency recovery phase

11) Splash down!

12) ...and the most well known scene from the movie.

So?...what do you think.... ... I´ve tried to create a compact shaped spacecraft...with Ion engines for hyperlightspeed and pairs of liquid oxygen fueled jets for atmospheric maneuvering.

HOPE YOU LIKE IT!

...wish nice day.....

JAN (ALIEN) RÜKR

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Questions or comments? Email ANSANAUT