The landship
Meet Zephyrina
The shop at Firefly was always locked. When the cousins finally find it open, the family's old motorhome has become Zephyrina: an electric “landship” with solar wings, a kitchen, and her own supply of water pulled from the air. Draft
What she can do
Inside the landship
- Solar wings. Huge eagle-inspired wings unfold to catch the sun, then fold flat against her roof “the way a hawk folds a hundred feathers into one smooth line.”
- Water from the air. Her AI-H2O system pulls drinking water out of the desert air. How it works
- A home on wheels. “A commercial kitchen, a full galley, atmospheric water systems, and enough solar generating capacity to power a small neighborhood,” as ARGO puts it.
- A ramp, not stairs, so ARGO can come and go.
- She drives herself when she has to, and she has a very loud horn.
- She can fly. Thrusters lower from beneath her, her wings spread, and she rises into the night sky. Even the cousins don't know yet.
The secret · Epilogue
Zephyrina takes flight
After dark, with the cousins asleep, ARGO takes Zephyrina out past Giant Rock on his own. Thrusters lower from beneath the coach, the solar wings spread, and she lifts off into the desert night.Draft
Flying takes a huge amount of energy. In under an hour her battery drops from 93% to 13%. Why do you think flying uses so much more power than driving?
Real or invented?
Could you build one?
Parts of Zephyrina are real today: solar panels on motorhomes, electric drive, and machines that pull water from the air. Wings that fold like a bird's are still an idea, and no flying motorhome exists, though one might be possible someday if it were built from scratch with ultra-lightweight materials. Draft
Try it: draw your own landship. What would you add to an ordinary motorhome? Solar wings, a water maker, a robot-dog ramp? Draft
Read the whole adventure free
The complete book is free in the Free Library: read it online, download the e-book or PDF, or listen to the audiobook. No email, no password, no cost.