Palomar Observatory Cutaway 1947

Famed Palomar Observatory, just outside of San Diego, CA, had not yet been finished at the time this cutaway drawing was published. The drawing shows the observatory’s massive 200-inch mirror that, at that moment, was being finished at optical labs at Cal Tech, Pasadena, CA.  The disk of glass was 17 feet in diameter, and… Continue reading Palomar Observatory Cutaway 1947

Atomic Submarine Engine Testing Sphere Cutaway, 1952

This cutaway, drawn by Rolf Klep in 1952, is of a $2 million, 225 foot diameter steel hull built in Schenectady, NY. Essentially, it was a spherical proving ground for an atomic engine that would be installed in a submarine.  GE scientists would have: Built the engine. Encased that engine in a section of submarine… Continue reading Atomic Submarine Engine Testing Sphere Cutaway, 1952