Pat Flannery writes:

Especially what the glowing rings on the wingtips are...they look like some
sort of gas ionization discharge, but in a vacuum?
I think the rings may represent the charge neutralizer for the exhaust of a
ion engine, but would that be glowing?

From what I can see, looks to me like you have each pressurized pod occupied
by an astronaut/headsman who has been fed a diet exclusively of liquified
brocolli and beans.

The output of which is fed directly to the down shaft whereby it is combusted
by pure O2 being fed from the ring. The resulting methane sulfide torch burns at
such a high temperature that the O2 is partially ionized and discharges back
through the metal ring like St. Elmo's (of Brocollishire) fire and hence
the blue glow.

The tricky part is getting the right thrust balance between the two 'headsmen'.
This is mitigated somewhat by the fact that the entire upper portion above the
pressure sphere rotates to help balance the trust and to provide centrifugal
ullage to the headsmen.

Seems obvious to me.

We've noticed strong resemblances between illustrations in the kid's books and
pieces of various company's space artwork, but who is copying who is still
open to question.
I think the kid's book artists saw the space artwork in magazine ads and
copied them, Scott thinks it may be the other way around.

YOU COPIED ME!
NO YOU COPIED ME!
STOP COPYING ME OR I'M GOING TO TELL MOM!

:-)

Dave