Professor Lungren has developed a solar generator which will, as its first test, power the sleepy Mediterranean town of Monte Bianco from a vantage point on a mountain overlooking the town.
The control room
The Solar Generator[]
The Control Room[]
Lighting Strikes[]
A violent storm hits the surrounding area. The solar refactor dish is repeatedly struck by lighting and eventually buckles, crashing down the mountainside.
Moonlight[]
The town is plunged into darkness, Monte Bianco is bathed in moonlight reflected by the huge dish, now lodged on the mountainside and pointing directly at the town.
Intense Heat[]
Lady Penelope realizes the potential disaster: as the sun rises in the morning the sunlight will be magnified and reflected on to the town, which will burn under the intense heat!
Lady Penelope Calls For Help[]
Lady Penelope is finally able to contact International Rescue, by taking FAB 1 out to sea. Thunderbirds 1 and 2 set off for Monte Bianco, with Alan and Brains joining Virgil in Thunderbird 2.
Brains has a Plan[]
Brains plans to tilt the reflector dish upwards, away from the town. Wearing a heat suit, he is lowered from Thunderbird 2 to take a closer look at the mechanism, attaching the Magno-Grip, a large electromagnet on a cable winch, to the dish.
Stuck Fast[]
Even the power of Thunderbird 2 cannot shift the dish and Brains realizes that he must fix the rotation mechanism to enable it to be tilted. The gear is fixed and Virgil is able to move the reflector, but the huge dish begins to slip and overbalance. As the dish tips over, Alan thinks he sees Brains fall down the mountainside, however, to everyone's relief it was only Brains' empty heat suit.
