Eagle Transporter

Eagle Transporter
File:Eagle under attack.jpg Eagle Transporter
First appearance	"Breakaway"
Last appearance	"The Dorcons"
Information
Affiliation	Moonbase Alpha
Launched	June 2, 1992
General characteristics
Class	Interplanetary
Armaments	Laser gun Laser turret Space-to-space missiles
Defenses	Force field Anti-gravity/radiation screens Heat shields
Maximum speed	15% Speed of light
Propulsion	Nuclear fusion rockets

The Eagle Transporter is a fictional spacecraft seen in the 1970s Italian-British television series Space: 1999. The Eagles serve as the primary spacecraft of Moonbase Alpha, which has a fleet of them, and are often used to explore alien planets, defend Moonbase Alpha from attack, and to transport supplies and other items to and from the Moon. The Eagle was designed by Brian Johnson, who had worked with Gerry Anderson on Thunderbirds in the mid-1960s and had produced the spacecraft for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Toys and models of the Eagle were popular. The Eagle spacecraft influenced the spaceship designs of Star Wars and other science fiction films and television series.

Construction

The Eagles are constructed by the engineering and technical section of Moonbase Alpha using materials and components either shipped from Earth or manufactured on the Moon. The latter is usually proposed as a rationale for the perceived seemingly endless supply of Eagles despite their frequent losses. At the time of the episode "The Last Sunset", dialogue indicated that there were twenty-eight serviceable Eagles on the roster.

Design

File:Eagle unloads.jpg

A specialized Eagle unloading nuclear waste at Nuclear Disposal Area 2

Completely modular, the craft are divided into three basic sections: the command module, the passenger module/service pod, and the superstructure (containing the landing gear, access corridor/galley, aft compartment, fuel tanks and main propulsion system). The command module also has an escape hatch as revealed in the episode "Devil's Planet", although it is unknown whether this is an original design feature or an adaptation that was designed by Moonbase Alpha. The command module of the Eagle can detach from the main body as seen in the episode "Dragon's Domain" enabling it to dock with another compatible craft or for use as an emergency escape capsule. All Eagles are equipped with artificial gravity.

Types of module

Several types could be used, depending on the mission.

• Passenger — The standard passenger module, it is usually unarmed and used solely to transport Moonbase personnel. Passenger Eagles have a transport module which provides maximum seating space for eight persons. These Eagles were first seen in the pilot episode "Breakaway".
• Reconnaissance — Sometimes known as Survey Eagles, this type typically has a computer bank on the starboard side of the ship. Reconnaissance Eagles are used to explore alien planets and regions of space; the sophisticated computer bank is used to obtain, store, and analyse data gathered from the planet being studied including atmospheric composition, valuable mineral resources, and biological life.
• VIP — Seen only in the episode "Breakaway", the orange-striped VIP Eagle was used by Lunar Commissioner Gerald Simmonds; it is primarily a passenger Eagle used to transport high-ranking officials.
• Rescue — These Eagles are recognisable by their vertical red stripes. Rescue Eagles are equipped with a variety of rescue and life-saving equipment which can be used in emergencies.
• Transport/Supply — These Eagles are used to transport supplies and equipment rather than passengers. Their transport modules are designed to carry equipment and have limited seating space for passengers.
• Docking — Usually a standard Eagle fitted with an extendable airlock to enable docking with another craft in space. This was seen in the episode "Collision Course" when John Koenig had to dock with Alan Carter's damaged Eagle.
• Freighter — These specialized Eagles are used to transport dangerous nuclear waste to the Nuclear Disposal Areas; unlike supply or transport Eagles, they are heavily shielded to protect their crews from radiation. The waste canisters are carried in a 'pallet' type pod which links to a conveyor belt at the disposal areas. These Eagles were seen in the episode "Breakaway".
• Laboratory — A specialized Eagle which carries equipment of a more scientific nature than the Reconnaissance Eagle; beginning the second series, they are usually fitted with additional airlocks for decontamination purposes, and have small but well-equipped laboratories on board. These Eagles appear throughout the series, but make their first prominent appearance in the second-season premiere "The Metamorph".
• Winch — Winch pods can be attached to Eagles and used for a variety of purposes. Most notably they were used to attempt to disperse the nuclear waste containers in Disposal Area 2 in "Breakaway". They are not to be confused with Freighter Eagles. Winch pods can be either in the form of a grab, as seen in "Collision Course" when nuclear charges were planted on an asteroid, or a magnetic winch, used for other purposes like removing the Command module of a crashed Eagle in "Missing Link".
• Combat — Although Eagles are not primarily designed for combat, they can be equipped with laser emitters and missiles for defensive purposes. When Moonbase Alpha broke away from Earth, several Eagles were equipped with weapons and used to defend the Moonbase from potential alien attacks. Specialised Eagles were designated as 'Combat Eagles' in the episode "The Metamorph".

Eagle equipment

Several types of equipment could be attached to an Eagle, depending on the mission.

• Winches
• Docking tube
• Top boosters
• Side boosters
• Vertical grab
• Horizontal grab
• Harness
• Re-entry glider
• Refilling deadly tomb
• Top mounted retractable laser cannon

Operation

The Eagles are powered by four nuclear fusion rockets and carry fuel reserves for 48 hours of flight. Artificial gravity force fields built into the Eagle enable it to accelerate up to 15% of the speed of light, giving it a maximum range (with extra fuel reserves) of several light days. (At 15% of the speed of light, an Eagle would need nearly 7 days to traverse a distance of one light day.) Should there be a need for higher-than-normal velocities, a set of two booster rockets can be fitted to the superstructure to augment the main propulsion system. Under ideal conditions, re-fuelling is carried out in the maintenance hangar at Moonbase; under extraordinary circumstances, provisions for in-flight fuelling are possible.

The Eagle also has the capability to enter the atmosphere of a normal-gravity planetary body, land using its chemically fuelled landing rockets, and take off and return to Moonbase Alpha. The Eagle maintains sufficient fuel for multiple take-offs and landings. Should the craft be required to operate within meta-gravity conditions (take-offs and landings from a high-gravity spatial body), the craft can be equipped with four downward-pointing booster rockets to augment the normal vertical rockets on the craft's undercarriage.

The on-board computer system can handle guidance, astro-navigation, and interpretation of sensor data; for comprehensive data analysis, telemetry is transmitted to Moonbase Main Computer. The craft can also be flown by remote control from Moonbase Alpha.

Weapons

Although the Eagle was not designed for use as a military vessel, some Eagles on Moonbase Alpha are fitted with a laser emitter as standard equipment and an arsenal of space-to-space missiles. The episode "War Games" suggests that only seven of Alpha's many Eagles are armed at that time. It is demonstrated in the series that Eagles were primarily designed for transport, reconnaissance and scientific surveys. In "War Games" the Eagles are badly outmatched by the Mark IX Hawk, which were designed specifically for combat. The Hawks were faster, more maneuverable, and better-armed than the Eagles, although a skilled Eagle pilot such as Alan Carter was still able to destroy several Hawks in the battle to defend Moonbase Alpha.

In addition to the primary weapons mounted on the underside of the Eagle superstructure frame (directly behind the command module) intended for combat or defence when in flight, a retractable laser gun was revealed in Year Two for use when the craft is grounded. This mid-size weapon was mounted on the dorsal surface of the spaceframe and emerged from the girders of the ship's 'backbone'. It can be adjusted to fire in 360 degrees and at numerous angles of elevation. Various pods also carry small arms; a rack of stun-guns and a single laser rifle for the use of crew is mounted by one of the two main hatches.

Crew

Eagles are generally flown by two trained astronauts (Eagle pilots) from the Reconnaissance Section; although the craft can easily be handled by a single pilot, the right seat in the Eagle command module is routinely occupied by an astronaut co-pilot, although this varies according to mission profile. The pilots almost always wore spacesuits with helmets. Chief Pilot Alan Carter (Nick Tate) often piloted an Eagle. Many non-Reconnaissance personnel on Alpha are former astronauts or have received flight training and are qualified to handle the craft. Eagles can also be piloted by remote control from the Alpha command centre.

Special Effects Department

The model of the Eagle used in filming was built in four scales: by the end of the series, there were three 44-inch (110 cm) Eagle models, two 22-inch (56 cm) Eagles, one 11-inch (28 cm) Eagle, and a 5-inch (13 cm) Eagle. The superstructure framework was composed of brass tubing on the larger-scale models and the command module was fiberglass, with landing gear pods made of a wooden core with Perspex cladding. The rear main rocket engines were made of turned aluminum. Compressed freon streams were used to portray the vertical jets used in lift-off and landing sequences and, in Year Two, the exhaust from the main rockets. The special effects team worked in Bray Studios, a separate studio away from where the live action filming took place.

The production team included several experts who later went on to win Academy Awards for Alien (1979) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980):

• Brian Johnson - SFX Designer, Director
• Nick Allder - SFX Director (Year 1), Lighting Cameraman (Year 2)
• Martin Bower - Modeller

Merchandising

The Eagle became an iconic design in the 1970s, and inspired toys and model kits from various manufacturers. The "Space: 1999" board game used Eagles as player pieces. In 1976, a 50-inches long sit-in toy model of the Eagle Transporter could be assembled. Between 1975 and 1980, Dinky Toys manufactured two well-detailed die-cast Eagle toys, each with different modules and colouring. The Transporter was fairly faithful to the version seen on the show, with the exception of the colouring which consisted of a green main body and a white transporter pod. The Freighter pod, while not accurate to those seen on the show, was inspired by the winch pod. The first edition Freighters came with the main Eagle painted a more correct white, while the waste container carrying pod was painted red. In later editions the Freighter Eagle was changed to blue with a white pod. The Transporter retained the incorrect green/white colour combination for the entire run. Airfix released self-assembly model kits around the same time. In the United States, LJN Toys also manufactured smaller versions in the 1970s, and the company Centuri released a rocket-powered "flying" Eagle Transporter kit. In more recent years, toy/model Eagles have been manufactured by other companies, including Product Enterprise and Iconic Replicas. During the program’s initial broadcast in the United States, toy company Mattel produced a large size Eagle transporter ship playset which came with three figures, accessories, and other attachments like a winch and weapons rack. The side doors of the passenger module opened to reveal seats within a basic interior and the opening top of the command module allowed the positioning of certain figures inside. The detachable command module as well as the main engine assembly could be joined together to create a smaller "escape pod". These surviving relics of the toy world command high prices on online auction sites.

In popular culture

• A repainted MPC Eagle Transporter model kit was used in the 1980s Polish educational TV series Przybysze z Matplanety ("Visitors from Mathsplanet") as the aliens' spacecraft.
• In the video game Starshot: Space Circus Fever, the Eagle Transporter can be found in the iron museum on the planet Ultimacrash.
• In the TV series Futurama, the episode about Star Trek: The Original Series called Where No Fan Has Gone Before had an Eagle shoot the banned and sole remaining copies of Star Trek episodes and movies to a forbidden planet. The Eagle also appeared as an Erector Set version for a demolition derby in Bender's Game.

External links

• Space 1999 Catacombs - The Eagles - In depth review of the Eagles
• The Sci-Fi Air Show - Chronicles the post-series fate of the filming models

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📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• List of Space: 1999 weapons and equipment
• Moonbase Alpha (Space: 1999)
• Moon Buggy (Space: 1999)
• List of Space: 1999 vehicles

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