Documents / Hearing transcript
This is the printed record of a July 29, 1968 symposium on unidentified flying objects held by the Committee on Science and Astronautics of the U.S. House of Representatives, chaired by Rep. J. Edward Roush. The committee heard statements from six scientists: J. Allen Hynek, James E. McDonald, Carl Sagan, Robert L. Hall, James A. Harder and Robert M. L. Baker. It also printed papers from Donald Menzel, Stanton Friedman, Frank Salisbury and others. Hynek argued that puzzling UFO reports from competent witnesses deserve serious scientific study.
“Nevers”43 pages
118 the glasses. Likewise, for light that had had its plane of polarization turned through 90 plus 180 degrees 90 plus 360 degrees, and so on, there would be a partial extinction oilight. On this basis, the outer dark ring was due to the rejection by the polarizing filter of the glasses of light which had had its plane of polar- ization turned through 90 degrees, the next outermost band by light that had been turned through 270 degrees, et cetera. This interpretation is strengthened by Webb's observation that the dark rings were narrower than the brighter areas between them; this is what should be expected on the basis of the above explanation. What hypotheses can be constructed that might account for this unusual observation? There are at least two that have interesting implications for the propulsion problem. First by the Faraday effect, a magnetic field parallel to the path of the light could so rotate theplane of polarization. A quick calculation using the properties of the atmosphere shows that a field of 200,000 gauss, operating over a dis- tance of 130 feet -40 meters—could turn the plane 90 degrees; this is indeed a very intense and extensive magnetic field and, of course, would only account for one ring. Three rings would require a million gauss over the same distance. We have been able to achieve these field strengths in the laboratory for only fractions of seconds over very small distances. However, the principal argument against this hypothesis is the conclusion that were such a field brought at all close to the surface of the earth its effect would be to induce very strong remnant magnetism in nearly every piece of iron within several hundred yards. This has not been found. We have been able to achieve that kind of field strength for frac-tions of seconds only over short distances on earth, or at least we, on earth. However, there has been a suggestion made earlier that a very strong magnetic field might so saturate certain iron cores of electrical ma- chinery as to explain some of the observed phenomena of electrical malfunctioning. Despite the above -described observation, there is little reason to be- lieve that magnetic fields of themselves, could be of much use in pro- pelling a spacecraft, although there has been much uninformed specu- lation about this in popular UFO publications. The simple reason is that we cannot produce a north pole without at the same time produc- ing a south pole. This is a consequence of fundamental theory. Such a dipole cannot exert a force in conjunction with a uniform magnetic field, such as the earth may be assumed to have in a given locality, though it can produce a force in a nonuniform field. To go beyond the above discussion would be rather speculative, but it is just here that we find a stimulus and challenge to scientific theory. It is almost circular to say that when we find a phenomenon we under- stand but vaguely we have also found a means of advancing our un-derstanding; this has been particularly true in astronomy. Concerning the propulsion of UFO's, a tentative hypothesis wouldbe that it is connected with an application of gravitational fields that we do not understand. Gravitation remains one of the enigmas of modern science, although there have been some advances in its understanding, beyond general
Hearing transcript, from the govinfo collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 256 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.