Dr. Kosumi's Gatchaman SF Research Q&A was an interview with Rei Kosumi (Takumi Shibano), published in the Fantastic TV Collection vol.3, with Kosumi explaining the logistics of the sci-fi elements in the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman series.
Q&A[]
Q. What is the process behind the Firebird?
A. When the four mechas finish transforming and combine with the mothership, and the switch is flipped, just as positive and negative attract each other in an electric field and N and S attract each other in a magnetic field (although it is much more complicated and mathematically similar to a nuclear force field), a powerful space-time field is generated with the four mechas as poles, burying the entire God Phoenix mothership in a distortion of four-dimensional space, blocking all attacks from outside. At this time, the cross-shaped field that is generated between the four poles violently ionizes the surrounding atmospheric molecules, so that it appears as a cross cutting through the window, that is, a shining Firebird. It has nothing to do with the legendary "Firebird", but its appearance and effect make it an appropriate name.
Q. What is the energy source of the bracelet? Also, what would happen if somebody else uses that bracelet?
A. The energy for the bracelet is provided directly from the engines of the God Phoenix mothership and each mecha, or by spatial transport over very short distances, and it contains small grains of Fermium-257 as a storage device. The alpha decay of this radioactive element is trapped and resonated like a laser to generate various fields, but it is activated by each person's consciousness and muscle currents, so if someone else uses it, there will be no reaction unless they are very similar in personality and constitution. Also, depending on the psychological state of the person using it, the radiation and resonance effects can go out of control and kill that person.
Q. Is it actually possible to turn the Earth into a Black Hole?
A. Generally, black holes are formed when a star several tens of times larger than the Sun falls into the atmosphere after burning up, leaving behind a mass several times that of the Sun. However, when the universe was first created by the Big Bang, many smaller mini black holes (for example, 2 cm in diameter and with a mass similar to the Earth) were formed as remnant of the so-called Big Bang, and they are thought to still exist today. If such a mini black hole were to be pulled an slowly collide with the Earth, the Earth would gradually lose mass and collapse, eventually becoming a single black hole. Once the collapse begins, it would be impossible to stop it. There are other more fanciful methods, such as generating mini black holes inside the Earth, but at present it is not known whether this is theoretically possible.
Q. Similarly, the Van Allen Belt being lowered. In such a case, what would happen with that?
A. The Van Allen Belt was discovered in 1958 by satellite observation. It is a region with many high-energy particles, which surrounds the Earth in a doughnut shape. Although they are called high-energy particles, their density is low, so there are no immediate effects from exposure to the radiation. However, what is more frightening would be the side effects from a force that would cause the Van Allen Belt to descend, and the phenomena that would occur as a result of that force. The genes of living beings may be affected, resulting in deformities. Depending on how the force acts, the temperature of the atmosphere may rise, which may cause the ice in Antarctica to melt and cause a large rise in the sea level, and local air pollution due to the generation of special radiation.
Q. How big is the Mantle Project?
A. The distance from the surface to the mantle layer, ie: that is the thickness of the crust is about three times that of the continental flat area. The depth of the ocean is about 5 km, and up to about 60 km in mountainous areas, but it is much thinner at about 5 km at the bottom of the deep sea. Therefore, if you choose a good spot, you can reach the mantle layer by digging 5 or 6 km into the seabed, and extract thermal energy. That alone would not be a big deal, but if that place happens to be high temperature and high pressure due to radioactive elements and potential energy, and the equilibrium of the surrounding crust is about to be broken (ie: it is prone to major earthquakes), then even digging a tunnel a few tens of meters in diameter, like a dike collapsing through an ant hole, can trigger a major disaster like the sinking of Japan.