|
THUNDERBIRD 2
Launch Bay
|
| Taking into account the nature of Thunderbird 2, Brains decided against a vertical take-off craft. The launch bay therefore bears some resemblance to a conventional hangar, but the resemblance ends when one considers the details which, like all Thunderbirds equipment, are ahead of their time. |
|
|
|
A the spout (1) protruding from the central girder houses the retractable covered chute (2) down which Virgil slides on his way to the cockpit of Thunderbird 2 (3). |
| B The 'main office'. (1) Access from the gallery below. (2) Flight information panel linked to the main computer (3) which also serves the analogue selection panel which can be used to determine the use of equipment at any given disaster. (5) Plastiglass covers the front and sides of the control galleries giving soundproofing and protection in the event of an accidental explosion. (6) Tell-tale panel shows the state of all the equipment in the hangar. (7) Is a duplicate of the main control dials in Thunderbird 2 used for testing purposes and (8) is the manual control desk used for positioning pods, etc. |
|
 |
| C Fully equipped workshops (1) line the maintenance and pod storage bay. The pods leave this on a conveyor belt (2) which carries them through a tunnel in the rock wall (3) into position under Thunderbird 2 (4). The unwanted pods continue on into the storage and maintenance bay (5). The reservoir and pump complex (6) serves the laminated, steelbacked, rock-faced cliff door (7) which moves up and down hydraulically. When lowered, the cliff door 'trench' is covered by a second drawbridge door (8) which swings down to provide smooth access to the runway (9). (10) Is a section through the cliff house which conceals the open door from aerial view. D Is one of the many electronic eye TV cameras positioned around the bays which both convey information to Manual Control and enable pods to be positioned automatically in line with Thunderbird 2. |
 |
E Fuel line (1). Reverse flow feedback lines (2). Fuel blending drum (3). Pump (4). Shield over retracted fuel distributor booms (5). Cylinders of inert gas discharge automatically in case of fire creating a non-flammable atmosphere in the vicinity of the likely flash points while the warning beacon (6) bathes the whole bay in red light in the event of a mechanical emergency. |
ITC/POLYGRAM
This is a fan maintained site and the author has no commercial intentions whatsoever
