# Back to the drawingboard? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2006, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-drawingboard/379161 "2006-11-05T05:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-drawingboard/379161/1 "2006-11-05T05:37:59Z")
Inspired by this thread, what wacky engineering/construction proposals have died a merciful death: [Smog tunnels? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=394840) I can recall two, off the top of my head, and both were concocted during warfare. First is the WWII iceberg aircraft carrier: [Project Habakkuk - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Habbakuk) and number two is CIA “Project Able”, to use satellite mirrors to illuminate much of South Vietnam and deprive the enemy of the cover of darkness to conduct operations. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-drawingboard/379161/2 "2006-11-05T06:22:08Z")
Here’s a link that mentions Project Able: [http://jcgi.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,843267,00.html](http://jcgi.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,843267,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-drawingboard/379161/3 "2006-11-05T13:11:33Z")
I don’t want to beat a dead horse here, but I can’t believe that no one else can think of some colossal project that was misconcieved. I’ve thought of another example, although I don’t know if it ever got past the talking stage. It was a few years ago when there was a proposal to pipe water from the Columbia river to southern California. There must be some other examples. Anybody? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-drawingboard/379161/4 "2006-11-05T13:37:50Z")
[QUOTE=A.R. Cane] … CIA “Project Able”, to use satellite mirrors to illuminate much of South Vietnam and deprive the enemy of the cover of darkness to conduct operations. [/QUOTE] I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that concept, and it certainly didn’t end there. The Russians actually [tested this idea](http://www.space-frontier.org/Events/Znamya/) in space. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-drawingboard/379161/5 "2006-11-05T13:53:05Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that concept, and it certainly didn’t end there. The Russians actually [tested this idea](http://www.space-frontier.org/Events/Znamya/) in space. [/QUOTE] I hadn’t heard of that one, but you have to remember that Project Able was proposed over 30 year before and I doubt that much thought was given to the environmental impact. Of course the cost, in the late sixties, would have been extreme, to put it mildly. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-drawingboard/379161/6 "2006-11-05T19:20:12Z")
One of my faves was a nuclear power plant being built. It was a huge building and there was another that was a mirror image. In engineering you order shown and opposites . The procurer order 2 of everything. It is the Guiness biggest financial error ever. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-drawingboard/379161/7 "2006-11-05T20:08:35Z")
There was the idea for a nuclear powered aircraft. Ford wanted to build a car called the Nucleon which was also nuclear powered. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-drawingboard/379161/8 "2006-11-05T20:11:17Z")
My Dad swears up and down that the Army Corp of Engineers once seriously proposed to flood the Grand Canyon to use as a source of electricity in the west, and that doing so was seriously considered. ::off to Google:: Shit, he may not have been [entirely](http://makeashorterlink.com/?B53521B1E) [wrong](http://makeashorterlink.com/?D66526B1E) :eek: ---
**Author:** ![JacksonRoykirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e79b87/32.png) [@JacksonRoykirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacksonRoykirk)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-drawingboard/379161/9 "2006-11-05T22:54:47Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] There was the idea for a nuclear powered aircraft. Ford wanted to build a car called the Nucleon which was also nuclear powered. [/QUOTE] The [prototype](http://www.javelinamx.com/Batmobile/futura86.jpg) was turned over to George Barris, who [customized](http://www2.uol.com.br/bestcars/carros/outros/filmes/batman-1.jpg) it for an unidentified billionaire. 😃 On a more serious note, in the 1950’s, the Rover Corp. was trying to perfect a [jet-turbine powered](http://davidszondy.com/future/car/jet_rover.htm) car. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-drawingboard/379161/10 "2006-11-06T00:50:09Z")
Chrysler had a prototype turbine-engine car, too. Problem with turbine engines in a car is that you let off on the gas and the engine doesn’t lose RPMs right away as a piston (or, for that matter, a rotary) engine would.