Wednesday, August 12, 2009

new Kind of Polar Vehicle is needed

I found this at my other website in my journal in 2007. I still think it is a good idea today.

"I was thinking as I was waking up this morning about what kind of new vehicle was needed so snowmobiles didn't sink into the melting ice and permafrost. Though all this might become a moot point of the price of gasoline keeps going up, I was thinking that if one combined the characteristics of a snowmobile with a jet ski that also had an electric winch that three or more of these vehicles could tie together for safety and travel either ice or melting permafrost and survive the ordeal. Though the vehicle I envsion is more for thin ice, another type of vehicle could be designed for travelling over melting permafrost. (An ideal permafrost vehicle would be a light weight tank tread vehicle like a snowmobile with small tank treads on the front for stearing.)"

Today: I was thinking more about this as I read it and thought about start with a jet ski that floats and semi-protects the rider(s) from freezing to death by keeping them out of the water somewhat. If you took this vehicle to arctic situations and people were wearing dry diving suits to keep them warm so they wouldn't get frostbite and then added a lightweight track similar to a snowmobile. With a winch powered directly by the gasoline engine or as an electrical power takeoff from the engine like winches on 4 wheel drives on land, this could allow a vehicle to not sink when the ice cracks when traveling over the ocean on ice. If the ice split apart you would stay relatively dry. If stuck you could pull out your winch and attach it through large ice screws or grapling hooks into the ice and just keep going. If your ice flow broke away from the mainland, you simply launch it into the ocean and ride jet ski style back to land. When you reach land then use your tank treads again to ride home.

If you have ever seen a Duck that has wheels like a truck on land and goes into water like a boat with a propeller the vehicle I'm thinking of is basically like this only it only takes 1 or 2 people instead of about 20 to 40 like a Duck.

With the melting Arctic and Antarctic this kind of vehicle will naturally be developed for hunters, explorers and tourists over time and used during the times when ice is breaking up and away from land islands and major land masses.

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