Carl Sagan's "Contact" info

[new86]

hi guys,
i am just finishing reading "Contact" by Carl Sagan (in english) and i have a linguistic problem which the internet and the dictionary did not solve.

I am referring to the explanation about the Machine and one of its components: "benzels". Is this an english existing word? Or it is invented by the Author?

and anyway what is it? any picture, drawing, anything?

thanks a lot

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

Could you quote us the paragraph?

 

[gsdx]

I found this:

In the novel, it is described as a dodecahedron-shaped vessel wrapped inside of three separate-free-floating spherical shells called benzels (the largest outer shell being approximately 30' in diameter), with a single hatch along the top of each segment. The Machine was also both built inside of- and activated from- a large hangar bay; which took the better part of ten years from when the US President authorized its construction to when it is activated. Through complex descriptions of what each part of the machine is and how it operates (or is thought to operate), the inner vessel remains stationary while the three outer shells counter-rotate perpendicular to each other along each axis (X, Y, and Z). Three Machines are built- one by the United States (which is sabotaged), one by Russia (which is plagued by malfunctions and never used), and a third one in Hokkaidō, Japan which was finally used. There is enough room inside for five occupants in cushioned seats which face each other. When the Machine arrives at its destination, the hatch opens automatically, and all five passengers exit the Machine onto a sandy beach. Later, they re-enter the Machine, and it automatically returns to Earth.

http://www.omdb.si/index.php/ofilm/?i=71115 (about 2/3 of the way down the page in the 'Wikipedia' tab)

 

[new86]

Oh ok then i guess I got the image! So the are like "Spherical shells".. it was easy

In fact the technical explanation in the book was quite difficult to understand for me... so i let it go but then that word came out again, so I asked!

And in fact I could^n make mental image of the machine because I remember the one seen in the movie and it seemed to me that in the book it was different (from what i understood).

Thanks guys

 

[gsdx]

This is a dodecahedron (10 sides):

From the description above, that shape is the interior of Sagan's machine. It's surrounded completely by a shell (hollow ball, perhaps), which is inside another shell, which is also contained inside a third shell.

That's how I read it, anyway.

 

[new86]

Thanks for the image! Uhm but I guess a "dodecahedron" has 12 faces... from latin "duo deces" = "Twelve"

 

[gsdx]

This is a dodecahedron (10 sides):

Thanks for the image! Uhm but I guess a "dodecahedron" has 12 faces... from latin "duo deces" = "Twelve"

I flunked Latin. (Actually, I didn't even study it.)

Anyway, I found the picture I posted and tried to count the sides from that. (That's how I came up with 10 sides.) I guess should have looked more closely at Google. It's easier to count the sides when someone lays them all out for me:

Hey! You can teach an old dog new tricks!
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