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Frontal view of a twin-pod cloud car
of a type flown by security forces on Bespin.
Two laser cannons muzzles are the dark spots
set in the outer sides of both pods.
The boxy section in the centre of the bridging hull
appears to be an air intake:
this is necessary for a jet engine that provides forward thrust.
(Contrary to a common misconception,
the repulsorlift antigravity effect only provides an upward lift,
against the prevailing gravitational field.)
[Jan 2003]
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View from above the mideplane of the cloud car.
The gun barrels are slightly more visible in their cavities.
The upper surfaces of the central box appear to have transverse ribs.
The pilot (on the starboard side) has a moustache;
his copilot does not.
[Jan 2003]
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Underside of the cloud car.
The boxy module has ribs on its ventral surface as well.
Are they structural
or are they related to heating, gas or power distribution?
The bulbs directly under the pilot seem to be the most likely places for landing gear.
These points are nearly under the pods' respective centres of mass,
and the hull panels have longitudinal seams that look like the edges of doors.
[Jan 2003]
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The port side of a cloud car.
The sooty streak around the portside gun
may have been left by the blowback of hot, escaping coolant gas,
or perhaps something airbourne that was near the muzzle
and affected by the energy beam?
[Jan 2003]
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Another side view of the cloud car,
unfortuately obscured by shadows,
reflections and dust on the foreground glass.
Nonetheless this image may eventually prove useful
for the sake of stereoscopic measurement.
[Jan 2003]
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