IP: from Whats New BREAKTHROUGH PHYSICS: NASA CONDUCTS CLOSED

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

It has
been the policy of WN to keep readers informed of truly paradigm-
shattering developments -- particularly in August when Washington
becomes a ghost town.  Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me into
the propulsion physics workshop underway at NASA Lewis (WN 30 May
97).  According to Aviation Week, the purpose of the workshop is
to decide which breakthroughs to pursue. Under consideration are
superluminal travel, inertia modification and free energy from
vacuum fluctuations.  An experiment on the Podkletnov gravity
shield (WN 7 Feb 97) is already underway in conjunction with the
University of Alabama.  Aviation Week points out that if it's
successful it will reduce the need for heavy-lift boosters.  It
should be pointed out that it would also lead to a violation of
the first law of thermodynamics.  A 19th century patent for a
perpetual motion machine consisted of a heavy drive wheel on a
horizontal axis. If a gravity shield is inserted under one side
of the wheel, it becomes unbalanced and rotates -- continuously.  1.
BREAKTHROUGH PHYSICS: NASA CONDUCTS CLOSED WORKSHOP.  It has
been the policy of WN to keep readers informed of truly paradigm-
shattering developments -- particularly in August when Washington
becomes a ghost town.  Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me into
the propulsion physics workshop underway at NASA Lewis (WN 30 May
97).  According to Aviation Week, the purpose of the workshop is
to decide which breakthroughs to pursue. Under consideration are
superluminal travel, inertia modification and free energy from
vacuum fluctuations.  An experiment on the Podkletnov gravity
shield (WN 7 Feb 97) is already underway in conjunction with the
University of Alabama.  Aviation Week points out that if it's
successful it will reduce the need for heavy-lift boosters.  It
should be pointed out that it would also lead to a violation of
the first law of thermodynamics.  A 19th century patent for a
perpetual motion machine consisted of a heavy drive wheel on a
horizontal axis. If a gravity shield is inserted under one side
of the wheel, it becomes unbalanced and rotates -- continuously.  


THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY (Note: Opinions are the author's
and are not necessarily shared by the APS, but they should be.)