Still a simple delusional concept, the Sky Cruise is a huge nuclear-powered flying liner designed to accommodate up to 5,000 passengers. It was drawn by Swedish artist Tony Holmsten, then modeled in 3D by Alexander Tujicov and animated by Hashem Al-Ghaili, a Yemeni scientist and director who enjoys a very strong following on social networks. He is best known for his popular science videos.
On paper (or rather in the video uploaded by Hashem Al-Ghaili), the project looks like a huge air liner, propelled by about twenty electric motors powered by a dedicated nuclear reactor. It would thus be able to fly for entire weeks without having to make the slightest stopover. The icing on the cake, it is equipped with an anti-turbulence technology boosted with artificial intelligence, capable of anticipating the slightest disturbances to come.
The machine would be nearly 200 m long and would be equipped with all modern comforts. In addition to the passenger cabins, it includes several bars, restaurants, swimming pools, games rooms, cinemas and a huge shopping center. Outside, two elevators offer spectacular views of the surrounding sun and clouds.
A whimsical and utopian project
The project is for the moment only science fiction, because the challenges to be met for such a machine to see the light of day seem, today, insurmountable. It would be necessary, for example, to develop sufficiently powerful engines and sufficiently resistant wings to be able to propel such a gigantic mass in the air. Not to mention the risk of nuclear disaster in the event of a crash. It would also require suitable infrastructure, i.e. a runway to accommodate it and get it off the ground, solutions for refueling it in flight if necessary, etc.
It is therefore not tomorrow that you will embark on the Sky Cruise. But, beyond the delirium, this project perhaps foreshadows a certain idea of the tourism of the future, ever more disproportionate but nevertheless striving to be “clean”…