Why are they still working on the Flying Saucer design? Haven't they figured out it's not efficient enough?

Question

It might look good and it might tickle the fancy of UFO believers, but there are so may reasons why the design is inefficient. For example, using downward thrust to keep a heavy object afloat takes tremendoes amounts of torque, and the problem is, the engine "treads air". It pushes the thrust out so fast it creates it's own envelope. If they could have used the princible of the helicopter rotor, where the torques is spread across a large area, then maybe it would fly. Another reason is that they want the outer ring to spin creating a gyro effect. There are huge amounts of energy lost there. Another example that should have been taken from the helicopter.

http://www.virtuallystrange.net/ufo/updates/1999/apr/m28-010.shtml

http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/prop20apr99_1.htm

Not only did they develop a system for propulsion with a laser beam, but they have developed a Xenon-ion electrostatic propulsion system that can propel the craft at 77,000 mph with a force of the weight of a piece of paper.

Answer 1

one of the main reasons I beleive would be because these "Flying Saucer design" are not some-one's imagination these people believe were seen by people being used by an intelligent being or more popularly known as aliens.
more the design of the FS help it to land comfortably on uneven terrain also when moving horizontally th effect of friction is reduced to a great extent and as far as the air factor is concerned that is only on earth and once out of the atmosphere the flying saucer would be perfect for space...

Answer 2

I think the problem is more with the propulsion method than the design of the craft. Think outside the box. How about electomagnetohydrodynamic propulsion? Or perhaps a gravitational propulsion system?

Answer 3

With the exception of a relatively few planetary landings compared to how much time it spends in space, there is barely such thing is inefficient in the vacuum of space. Besides who are they? Fifties tv shows and B movies? Most sci-fi films today have moved on from the "saucer" shape.

Answer 4

Probably because humans like to do things that haven't been tried before, maybe that's what they're doing at Area 51. I think the problem it won't work is because scientists aren't thinking outside the box-in order to get something to fly into space like that, they probably have to think of anti-gravity rather than gravity, because there is no gravity in space. That's just my theory, I'm not a scientist or anything like that. :)

Answer 5

There aren't any government-funded programs with the purpose of making a flying saucer. All current projects are private-funded by enthusiasts that just wants to make a flying saucer.

Answer 6

That's a lot like the question about metallic hydrogen-

There's no practicality in it.

Answer 7

who is working? post the link plz - I wanna see those idiots.