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		The Ark's Ascent [62/144] Title: The Ark's Ascent Catalog Number: SF-096 Original: Digital Caption: In the motion picture When Worlds Collide the earth is threatened with imminent destruction. The rogue star Bellus and its lone planet Zyra drifting through interstellar space are about to pass through the solar system. Astronomers discover that their trajectory intersects the earth's orbit -- unfortunately at the very place that the earth will be occupying it. Plans are immediately made to build a giant "space ark" to save as many people as possible. The astronomers have discovered that only one of the two interlopers will collide with the earth, the other will go into a permanent orbit around the sun, more or less replacing our planet. This new world is the destination of the Space Ark. The ship is a classic sleek, needle-nosed, swept-winged design. It is 400 feel long and 75 feet in diameter. The Space Ark has room for 39 carefully selected passengers and their supplies. Instead of taking off vertically, the Space Ark is mounted on a rocket-propelled undercarriage that in turn runs along a twin-railed track. Beginning horizontally, the rack descends at 10 degrees for 3,000 feet, gradually turns up the side of a mountain, for another 2,000 feet, like a ski jump in reverse. When the speeding rocket reaches the end of the track, traveling a 3,000 fps, the undercarriage is jettisoned and the Space Ark takes off under its own power. This is an entirely viable method of launching a spacecraft. When Worlds Collide is a motion picture adaptation by George Pal of the Edwin Bulmer-Phillip Wylie novel directed by Rudolph Mate. The 1951 "Space Ark" was re-created using Strata Studio 2.5.3 computer graphic program. The model's ribs where made with Illustrator and imported into Strata and skinned. The streaks in the scene are made with Photoshop 5.0. Created by Edward Rowles in 2000