Drop Ships & Battle Suits. A tribute to Robert Anson HEINLEIN

This is an article about Robert A. Heinlein. It express my opinions, so it is biased.

Robert Heinlein is known as one of the Masters of sci-fi literature from the "Golden Age" of that particular genre. He was also a fine good engineer himself !

Heinlein invented, or more accurately, described devices or concepts, which are still in use today, in the real world:

Waldo - manipulator mechanical arms, used to perfom dangerous manipulations within a closed, safe volume, with the human operator safely outside the contained volume. Waldo

CAD - Description of what a CAD Computer Assisted ( or Aided ) Device. The Door into Summer

Here, we will examine more closely Heinlein's invention of orbital drop ships - used to land military troops on planetary surface. In the same way Marines land on beached to establish a bridgehead.

''Starship Troopers. ''In that 1959 book, Heinlein defines two concepts which are still in wide use by sci-fi authors. The drop ship, it's system for launching soldiers from orbit to surface, the suit used for the drop, and the general concept of an armored exo-skeleton, fitted with diverse sensors and weapons.

Starship Troopers is one of many of Heinlein's controversial books. This is NOT the subject of my article. The movie(s) made after the novel are ( my opinion ) AWFUL. Still, the novel contains all the basics which still hold, 60 years after it's first publication.

The drop ship enters orbit around some planet. Soldiers are dropped ( I believe Heinlein extrapolated on paratroopers dropping from planes ). Systems are used to protect and insulate the troopers from extreme heat caused by intense friction in planetary atmosphere - if any. Heinlein describes an outer layer or armor, which is abrased by heat and friction and reduced in myriads of metallic specks hence creating thousands of echo on radars, blinding the invaded operators. After the mission, shuttle(s) land to collect the troopers, and bring them back to the drop ship.

The battle armor, an exo skeleton. Declined in three version in the novel, the basic trooper suit, the officer suit (less armament, more communication) and a long-range version suitable for reconnaissance.

Heinlein describe the HUD, inside the helmet, the way it is operated ( clicks of the tongue, moves of jaw ) and some armaments. Notably the Y battery worn on the back, with 2 launch points, left and right behind the helmet. The suit allows the soldier to run, jump, crawl. Heinlein provides the correct way to run/jump, keeping the trajectory low to avoid detection and enemy fire !

One important thing Heinlein tells nothing about is HOW the suit is powered. He had no solution, and 60 years after, we do not have either power batteries with enough density of charges, neither nuclear reactors tiny AND powerful enough to deliver the required power. That power is significantly higher than a Tesla car needs to drive on roads ( roads are already made and are designed to minimise the power needed, off road travel requires more energy).

Those two concepts haven't evolved much in 60 years. Hundredth of authors have reutilised them with or whitout modifications, other than cosmetic.

As I said in the introduction, Heinlein was a fine and astute engineer. Starship Troopers is not his best novel, far from it. But, Heinlein at his worst... He is still a visionaire and gives many authors who follow his steps the concepts to make us dream of Universes. Heinlein at his Best... He is the Master I bow in respect to, grateful for his influence upon my own modest life. RIP, Sir ! Your legacy will survive !

(Article by Renaud KENER)