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possibly, dreams, had been explained. Though desperately unfashionable, this was strictly logical, and given the state of the art, not refutable. Most importantly, the argument dispersed a siege of intemperate orthodoxy and served to legitimize a body of serious research. It is fair to say that the Tøssentern theory is now accepted by most major schools of philosophy, psychology and cognitive science, and it remains only for mainstream biology to fully accommodate the paradigm. Extraordinarily, by the close of the twentieth century, the signs were there: evidence is accumulating of epigenetic heredity based on selective methylation of DNA segments in the genome. How obvious it now seems that Tøssentern was right to demand an open mind on the possibilities.

6
ABEL
    Dear Dr Camenes
    As the lead design engineer for the balloon craft about which you enquired, Dr Walter Reckles has asked me to respond on his behalf and provide you with whatever information you require. He has asked me to convey his sympathies, to which I add my own, for the loss of your friend in such tragic circumstances. Dr Reckles will also be writing to you separately.
    We presume that your primary interest is in those design and performance characteristics that might be of relevance to optimum search planning. At the current time, we are unable to explain why mayday/GPS signals were not transmitted.
    The craft is non-traditional in design and I expect you are not familiar with many of its features. I therefore give a brief overview, with more detailed design and test data in attached files. We have, of course, extensive flight simulation software for the craft, and you are most welcome to access this. The problem is that, at this stage, we don’t have sufficiently detailed meteorology for that location. Aside from navigational error and freak weather stresses, we have to consider the possibility of some catastrophic structural failure, including due to fire. Dr Reckles has given this matter the highest priority, and we are doing our utmost to determine what might have happened. I should mention that British authorities have contacted Flight Control for assistance also.
    The L-99 craft, of which Abel was a slightly modified example, is of hybrid type, having a sealed outer envelope containinghelium, and an inner hot air compartment serviced by dead-baffled butane burners. The helium provides approximate neutral buoyancy on station, adjustable as explained below. The burners fine-tune elevation and provide emergency lift.
    Unlike conventional balloons, the L-99 is conformable, incorporating gas piston telescopic struts. This allows two things. First, the volume of the balloon, and therefore its density, can be altered, compensating for local thermal and barometric variations. Secondly, the shape of the balloon can be altered, specifically its horizontal-plane radial symmetry. The standard circular profile reconfigures to sigmoid, presenting a subtle convex–concave surface to the airstream. The effect of this is that the balloon will rotate in wind, rather like a turbine roof vent. Then, instead of the craft being propelled resistively at near wind velocity, much of the linear wind force is dissipated in rotational energy. In this way, down-wind ground speed can be reduced more than seventy per cent. This option rather complicates predicting the balloon’s position, even if we had detailed weather data.
    The gondola is a sealed cabin constructed of space-rated composites, and accommodates a crew of two. It will float if ditched. There are three hatches: the main one at side and emergency ones above and below. The whole assembly is stabilized gyroscopically using torque from the balloon controlled through an electric clutched gimbal transmission. The cabin is longitudinal and has airfoil curvature which generates a horizontal ‘lift’, allowing the craft to tack across wind quite effectively. This also complicates prediction.
    The main