Why are many UFOs an aerodynamic, saucer shape?

This may sound like a trivial question, but actually it is serious. I have read numerous UFO books, listened to many accounts. There is a kind of 'general consensus' about the shape of craft, particularly in the literature from the 40s up until somewhere in the 80s. And that is, the small craft that people see or which leave "landing traces" are saucer shaped discs, dome on top, landing gear on bottom. Obviously many variations...but that is the classic image. The "cigar-shaped" ships are rarer, larger, and were said to be motherships.

My question is, if they are using anti-gravity technology - again, another sort of general consensus hypothesis among ufologists - then why do they need an aerodynamic shape? What difference does it make? For airplanes and rockets, which are escaping gravity through brute force engine power, the aerodynamic shape obviously matters a lot. But if you are simply nullifying that force, why bother with the streamlined disc shape?

Anti-gravity is just a hypothesis, obviously, so we don't really know much about it. But why are the craft so streamlined and in a 360 degree way?

Look at an atomic bomb. An atomic bomb can be any shape, it makes no difference, it has that much potential energy. The only reason Fat Boy was aerodynamic because it was dropped from a plane *before* it exploded. Same with ICBMs, they are chemical rockets flung halfway around the world *before* they explode. But if you just want to blow a nuclear bomb, it can be shaped like a pinata, it doesn't matter.

In fact, if your craft is this saucer shape, you would seem to have a lot of wasted space on board, in the leading edges that go all the way around the craft. Less room for your abductees / cow bladders.

The Arizona lights / Belgian triangles thing is kind of related to, those would seem to have some kind of aerodynamic design also. But their origin is very disputed, so let's stick to the saucer shape discussion.

I'd love to hear some serious thoughts. I also wonder if anyone has raised this issue before, most likely, given that there are scientifically trained people interested in this UFO topic. Thanks!

i didn't read the whole question the jest of it is it moves faster with less energy. like a frisbee. i read once that it breaks through air easier.

Study physics before posting a question like this ...

Even if you turn off gravity, you still have to deal with air resistance.

A Saucer really isn't that aerodynamic. In fact, it's pretty unstable (as any viewing of some of our attempts at saucer craft will show)....

Just check out how many patents there are (and yet we still don't see one in use)...

www.rexresearch.com...

But, there may just be some fundamental reason that an interstellar drive is best housed in that type of shape... Without knowing more about them, we simply can only guess.

Indeed, there have been cylinder UFOs, cube UFOs, pyramid UFOs, cigar-shaped, ice-cream cone shaped, all kinds beyond the standard saucer. Even Kenneth Arnold's sighting (the one responsible for the phrase flying saucer), was really more of a chevron shaped craft...the term being more applicable to the "way" they flew...like saucers skipping on a lake, he said. Additionally, even the Roswell craft was reported to be non-saucer like in shape.

reply to post by Nicorette


anti gravity does not mean no wind resistance, also the disk shape is based on they the function internally,

Just because the aliens look like lanky ,pale nerdlings ,it doesnt mean they cant have sporty sleek saucers to get around in ,Pick up some Earth girls maybe.
What the other people said ,Air resistance and drag

Originally posted by bestof83
i didn't read the whole question the jest of it is it moves faster with less energy. like a frisbee. i read once that it breaks through air easier.

But these things are supposed to be 'space craft' - theres no air in space. I think the Borg got it right with a cube.

They could be like the TARDIS inside !! wouldnt matter what the exterior was like! Could be house brick shaped! it wouldnt matter .... Never seen a UFO doubt i ever will so i have only imagination.... then some say thats open to conjecture too ..

Regards

Git

reply to post by Nicorette


mmm...I see what you're saying, no point in being aerodynamic if there is no friction (air) to deal with.

Well maybe the shape has more to do with how the craft operates, how does the "engine" operate? does the "engine" spin vertically in the centre of the craft? does both craft and propulsion device spin around each other?

Even if there is no gravity objects still have mass correct? So if an object needed to "spin" in order to operate, would not the most efficient shape be a disk? with most mass near the centre of the object (also allowing room for both propulsion device and occupants) tapering out towards the edges of the craft.

Think about spacing four 1kg bags of sugar evenly on the outer edges of a bicycle wheel that is laying horizontally. the wheel will spin faster as you move the bags of sugar (mass) closer to the axle.

But hey, why can't they build a sleek looking craft? Just cause their alien doesn't necessarily mean they don't have a sense of style right?

reply to post by Gazrok


It makes sense for any craft that is going to encounter atmosphere to have some degree of aerodynamic shaping.

Although a disc shape is obviously not the best for creating lift, it would cut the air better than say a brick.

When you factor in alien propulsion, and inertial dampening mechanisms (which this type of craft would have to have to avoid smooshing the occupants like bugs), perfect aerodynamics matters even less.

That being said, some have speculated that these crafts simultaneously both exist / not exist in this dimension as a byproduct of their propulsion mechanism. In that case, aerodynamic shaping means nothing.

To me, a trend towards aerodynamic shaping means that these craft may be terrestrial of origin. After all, once you are sufficiently advanced to create propulsion capable of the speeds and manuevers that these craft are said to be able to achieve, worrying about aerodynamics would be a moot point.

ETA:

Also, why not take a flying brick, and extend a shield around it in an aerodynamic shape ???

Maybe it's not so much aerodynamic, but a function of some other dynamic we're not aware of.

So...if they (flying saucers) are subject to terrestrial physics and are influenced by aerodynamics, why does nobody report hearing sonic booms?

The devil is always in the details.

I'm sorry, I have to laugh at some in here who answer this question like..."come on... don't be an idiot... Everyone knows that..." Please, pray tell, where do you get your knowledge? Do you really think ANYONE on here can even begin to answer that...? And if someone could, they more then likely would NOT... Until we have one sitting in front of us, we can't even begin to understand the technological makeup of such a vehicle. Answering it like you have inside knowledge is nothing more then SPECULATION.

...And like stated above, most UFO's are not saucer shaped...

Sorry for being suchan ass...

Wingless Electromagnetic Air Vehicle (WEAV):
www.astrobio.net ...

reply to post by 001ggg100


Ive thought the very same for a few years on here! I have never seen one yet people proffess to know all about them, Wish i could answer the OP's question but i cant , so its open to debate which is a good thing...

As for sonic booms , didnt one of the sightings in the southern states have a reporrt of sonic booms??

Regards

Git

reply to post by Drunkenparrot


Wait a second, good thought, but haven't people been reporting explosion like sounds?

I know there were a few ATS threads on this issue................

Well one can look at it this way:

Why is our space shuttle aerodynamic? Its a space shuttle after all.

Yep that's right, it doesnt only travel in space. It has to take off and land too. Alien space ships being aerodynamic is probably because of the very same reason. Why else would we see them in atmosphere? A spaceship that isnt designed for atmospheric flight wouldnt be seen by us on the ground, since it'd be in space.

Another aspect of the design might be related to armor. During WW2, we discovered something really neat - sloped armor is a MASSIVE advantage against high speed projectiles. If you want small asteroids to bounce off your spaceship (or possibly enemy lasers, hehe), why not design it as a disk that could literally cut through an asteroid field while pushing everything aside?

Originally posted by sixswornsermon
Although a disc shape is obviously not the best for creating lift, it would cut the air better than say a brick.

They DON'T want lift, but stability. Any lift you get travelling at the ridiculous speeds they travel at, and the ship would be torn apart.

I've seen people say "they tried to make saucers and they were unstable" but have also seen reports that later attempts showed that the saucer shape was indeed very stable. Not sure who to believe without researching it more myself.

Originally posted by sixswornsermon
When you factor in alien propulsion, and inertial dampening mechanisms (which this type of craft would have to have to avoid smooshing the occupants like bugs), perfect aerodynamics matters even less.

Actually, they don't need inertial dampers (if such a thing could even exist) if they are using what I suspect they are using, which is a system of propulsion utilizing principles of relativity. When they seem to be performing ridiculous near-instantaneous acceleration and pinpoint turns, they're really operating in their own relativistic time-frame. Crack any physics book and it will tell you that when you are moving very fast, time slows down for you. This is a known and natural effect close to lightspeed. The saucers are, of course, not approaching 'c' in our atmosphere, but I suspect they are able to manipulate spacetime in such a way that takes advantage of aspects of relativity far beyond what happens naturally.

The other clue is reports of "missing time" in proximity to alien craft. Again, relativity accounts for time dilation, and any observer subject to relativistic effects will be in a time frame moving more slowly than the "normal" outside observer. Thus, these observers later compare watches and discover "missing time", which is the same relativistic effect of time dilation.

If the saucers were NOT taking advantage of relativity, their maneuvers would seem to not only mean death for any occupants, but also put a strain on the materials of the craft which would be almost beyond comprehension.

Originally posted by sixswornsermon
That being said, some have speculated that these crafts simultaneously both exist / not exist in this dimension as a byproduct of their propulsion mechanism. In that case, aerodynamic shaping means nothing.

Well, that's an interesting hypothesis.

Imagine a flatlander encountering a 3D creature toying about in his 2D world. The 3D creature sticks in a pen and starts poking about. "What is that weird circle and how is it moving about?" It has no visible propulsion. The flatlander approaches. Panicked, the 3D creature drops the pen at an angle very close to parallel with the plane. The 2D creature observes the circular 2D intersection of the pen "move incredibly rapidly and then disappear."

Originally posted by sixswornsermon
To me, a trend towards aerodynamic shaping means that these craft may be terrestrial of origin. After all, once you are sufficiently advanced to create propulsion capable of the speeds and manuevers that these craft are said to be able to achieve, worrying about aerodynamics would be a moot point.

Seems like unwarranted supposition. No matter how advanced you are, air is still air.

reply to post by merka


But if theyre advanced enough to tranverse the emense gulf of space and possibly time, wouldnt they have a shield of some kind thus rendering shape and aerodynamics redundant??

Regards

Git

reply to post by Observer99


OBSERVER99: "Actually, they don't need inertial dampers (if such a thing could even exist) if they are using what I suspect they are using, which is a system of propulsion utilizing principles of relativity. When they seem to be performing ridiculous near-instantaneous acceleration and pinpoint turns, they're really operating in their own relativistic time-frame. Crack any physics book and it will tell you that when you are moving very fast, time slows down for you. This is a known and natural effect close to lightspeed. The saucers are, of course, not approaching 'c' in our atmosphere, but I suspect they are able to manipulate spacetime in such a way that takes advantage of aspects of relativity far beyond what happens naturally.

The other clue is reports of "missing time" in proximity to alien craft. Again, relativity accounts for time dilation, and any observer subject to relativistic effects will be in a time frame moving more slowly than the "normal" outside observer. Thus, these observers later compare watches and discover "missing time", which is the same relativistic effect of time dilation.

If the saucers were NOT taking advantage of relativity, their maneuvers would seem to not only mean death for any occupants, but also put a strain on the materials of the craft which would be almost beyond comprehension."


Had not considered this. Makes a lot of sense when you consider the vast distances of space.

Nice!