ELECTROGRAVITICS: AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT MEANS OF SPACECRAFT PROPULSION
14/05/2014 19:20
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ELECTROGRAVITICS:
AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT MEANS OF SPACECRAFT PROPULSION
by Paul A. LaViolette, Ph.D.
The Starburst Foundation
1176 Hedgewood Lane
Schenectady, NY 12309
(An idea submitted for consideration in NASA's
1990 Space Exploration Outreach Program)
Description. The proposed propulsion technology would replace the energyintensive
rocket technology presently used for propelling spacecraft. The technology,
called electrogravitics, has already been developed in "black" defense research programs,
programs so highly classified that their existence is not publicly acknowledged.
Electrogravitics may appear to violate certain assumptions about gravity commonly held
by physicists and aeronautical engineers, so the reader is requested to keep an open mind.
The technology does exist; it has been under development for the past 40 years; and it has
been shown to be feasible both in carefully controlled laboratory experiments and in
actual test flights.
Basically electrogravitics is a technology that allows a spacecraft to artificially alter
its own gravity field in such a manner that it is able to levitate itself. This is
accomplished by applying a megavolt pulsed DC electric potential across the outer hull
and wing of the spacecraft. The craft would be designed to have a relatively large body
surface area, similar to the flying wing concept employed in the B-2 bomber.
Alternatively it could be discoidal in shape with a lenticular cross-section. Thrust would
always be in the direction of the craft's positively charged surface. To quote a February
1956 Air Force intelligence report (now declassified), such a craft "can perform the
function of a classic lifting surface--it produces a pushing effect on the under surface and a
suction effect on the upper, but unlike the airfoil, it does not require a flow of air to
produce the effect."(1)
Payoff. The value of this technology is that the craft may achieve Earth orbit flight
at a much lower velocity than conventional rocket propulsion and without the huge fuel
expenditure. It would eliminate the hazard of polluting the Earth's stratosphere and space
environment with aluminum oxide spherules, which has become an increasing problem
with the solid fuel boosters currently in use. The fuel requirements for electrogravitic
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propulsion are less than one percent of those presently used to lift the space shuttle into
orbit. Problems typically encountered with the Space Shuttle's rocket propulsion
technology (e.g., liquid hydrogen leaks, exhaust leaks around O-rings in the solid fuel
booster) would not be present in this technology. Due to its much lower power demands,
electrogravitics is much safer and more economical.
Performance Characteristics. As early as 1956, an Air Force study estimated that a
manned electrogravitic craft could achieve Mach 3 flight capability with a 50,000 kilowatt
power requirement. Such airborne electric power generation is within the reach of present
technology. It would require two General Electric superconducting generators powered
by two 50,000 horsepower rocket turbine engines. The superconducting generators
mentioned here were developed for the Air Force in the late 1970's for use in high-altitude
aircraft. Incidentally higher efficiencies are achieved in space due to reduced ion leakage
from the hull's charged surface.
Other enabling technologies. All enabling technologies have been developed. As
early as 1958, a small scale model of an electrogravitic powered aircraft was able to lift
110% of its weight. Since then manned vehicles have been secretly developed and are
presently being test flown.
Relation to major mission objectives. Electrogravitics would allow NASA to make
frequent flights into space without the numerous delays presently plaguing the Space
Shuttle launchings. (The present three year wait for repairing the Hubble Telescope could
be cut to 3 weeks.) It would allow flights directly from Earth to Mars without the
necessity of laboriously constructing a Mars spaceship in Earth orbit. Such a flight
would no longer be contingent on the preexistence of a space station. Moreover the high
speeds potentially achievable with electrogravitics would allow travel to Mars to be made
in under a month.
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ELECTROGRAVITICS:
AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT MEANS OF SPACECRAFT PROPULSION
Back-up Paper
Previous history. The electrogravitic phenomenon was first discovered by Thomas
Townsend Brown in the mid 1920's. In 1929 he published an article that described his
preliminary findings about this effect, which later came to be known as the Biefeld-Brown
effect.(2) In 1952 Brown demonstrated the electrogravitic propulsion by energizing two
1-1/2 foot diameter disks with 50,000 volts and flying them around a 20 foot diameter
course at speeds of 20 miles per hour. A few years later he flew a set of 3 foot diameter
disks about a 50 foot diameter course under a charge of 150,000 volts. The results were
so impressive that they were immediately classified.(3)
A considerable amount of historical information on the early development of
electrogravitics may be found in the 1956 Air Force intelligence study entitled
Electrogravitics Systems: An examination of electrostatic motion, dynamic counterbary
and barycentric control.(4) It defines the term "dynamic counterbary" as "the
manipulation of gravitational force lines," and "barycentric control" as "the adjustment of
such manipulative capability to produce a stable type of motion suitable for
transportation."
In 1952 the Pentagon was presented with a proposal that called for an extensive
effort to develop a "Mach 3 combat type disc" by means of a Manhattan District type of
project. By September of 1954 the Pentagon had launched a secret government program
to develop a manned antigravity craft based on electrogravitic technology. Commenting
on this, an October 1954 Air Force intelligence report states:(5)
"...the indications are now that the Pentagon is ready to sponsor a range of devices
to help further knowledge...Tentative targets now being set anticipate that the
first disc should be complete before 1960 and it would take the whole of the
'sixties' to develop it properly, even though some combat things might be available
ten years from now... The frame incidentally is indivisible from the "engine." If
there is to be any division of responsibility it would be that the engine industry
might become responsible for providing the electrostatic energy (by, it is thought,
a kind of flame) and the frame maker for the condenser assembly which is the core
of the main structure." (emphasis added)
By 1956 several major aircraft companies had become involved in electrogravitics
research. The list includes: Glen Martin, Convair, Sperry-Rand, Sikorsky, Bell, Lear,
Clark Electronics, Douglas, Hiller, and General Electric. The electrogravitics report
states:(6)
"...in the trade much progress has been made and now most major companies in
the United States are interested in counterbary. Groups are being organised to
study electrostatic and electromagnetic phenomena. Most of the industry's
leaders have made some reference to it. Douglas has now stated that it has
counterbary on its work agenda but does not expect results yet awhile. Hiller has
referred to new forms of flying platform, Glenn Martin say gravity control could
be achieved in six years, but they add that it would entail a Manhattan
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District type of effort to bring it about. Sikorsky, one of the pioneers, more or less
agrees with the Douglas verdict and says that gravity is tangible and formidable, but
there must be a physical carrier for this immense trans-spatial force. This implies
that where a physical manifestation exists, a physical device can be developed for
creating a similar force moving in the opposite direction to cancel it. Clarke
Electronics state they have a rig, and add that in their view the source of gravity's
force will be understood sooner than some people think. General Electric is
working on the use of electronic rigs designed to make adjustments to gravity - this
line of attack has the advantage of using rigs already in existence for other defence
work. Bell also has an experimental rig intended, as the company puts it, to cancel
out gravity, and Lawrence Bell has said he is convinced that practical hardware will
emerge from current programs. Grover Leoning is certain that what he referred to as
an electro-magnetic contra-gravity mechanism will be developed for practical use.
Convair is extensively committed to the work with several rigs. Lear Inc., autopilot
and electronic engineers have a division of the company working on gravity research
and so also has the Sperry division of Sperry-Rand. This list embraces most of the
U.S. aircraft industry. The remainder, Curtis-Wright, Lockheed, Boeing and North
American have not yet declared themselves, but all these four are known to be in
various stages of study with and without rigs.
A December 1957 issue of Product Engineering magazine reported that the Air
Force was encouraging research in electrogravitics.(7) A February 1958 issue of Business
Week magazine mentioned the names of a number of companies and institutions backing
gravity research, a list that included the Martin Co., Grumman Aircraft, Lockheed, and
Sperry-Rand.(8) In January 1955, G.S. Trimble vice-president of advanced design for
Glenn Martin was quoted as saying:(9)
"Unlimited power, freedom from gravitational attraction, and infinitely short travel
time are now becoming feasible."
Also Dr. Walter Dornberger, a guided missile consultant for Bell Aircraft, predicted that
airliners would eventually travel at speeds of 10,000 miles an hour (Mach 13).
By 1958 Townsend Brown had succeeded in developing a saucer model that, when
energized with between 50,000 to 250,000 volts of direct current, was capable of lifting
itself up with a thrust equaling 110 percent of its weight.(10) Since that time manned
vehicles using the electrogravitics principle have been built and flown.
How to proceed in discovering information on electrogravitics. Hughes Corp. is
currently considered to be the world leader in electrogravitics technology. So it is
advisable to begin with them in securing information on the current state-of-the-art in the
electrogravitics field. It would also be worth contacting some of the other companies
mentioned above. Whether they disclose much about what is going on is another
question. Seeing the benefits to NASA of using this technology, perhaps the federal
government will realize that the time is ripe to begin declassifying this technology. All
along, the aircraft industry has been interested in commercializing the technology. So the
opportunity of developing a new propulsion system for NASA might serve as the needed
catalyst to bring this technology out of the closet and into public use.
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If this approach initially fails, NASA officials might try exerting political pressure
on the appropriate government agencies to bring about a change in the technology's
classification. The National Security Agency might be a good place to start. It is
uncertain whether the Pentagon or Whitehouse would have much say in this matter.
There is no point in contacting the director of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research,
since he is not likely to have been briefed on the existence of this "black" technology.
NASA might begin by putting together a group to gather information about
electrogravitics and to lobby for a change in its classification status. There are people
presently working at NASA who would be good candidates for such a group and who
would be knowledgeable about whom to contact. I could provide the name of at least one
person who could be helpful.
The technology's likelihood of success and the classification issue. Until more is
known, it would be premature to say whether there are any outstanding engineering
problems in applying the technology to space travel. The main problem appears to be
political, rather than engineering in nature. Namely, the need to change the government's
present stance on keeping the technology under wraps. With the present move toward
the democratization of the Soviet Union, cold war arguments that formerly were used to
justify keeping this technology secret, now more than ever, would be treading on thin ice.
There is some speculation that the B-2 stealth bomber utilizes electrogravitics technology.
If so, perhaps now that a fleet has been built and test flown, the military sector may feel
that it is one step ahead of everybody and be more willing to release some information.
To allay fears about keeping antigravity technology classified, one could point out
that the automobile probably posed a similar technological advance at the turn of the
century. Although it could be argued that gasoline powered vehicles had an advantage
over the horse and buggy in that they allowed enemy troops to mobilize a more forceful
attack. On the other hand, it might also be argued that the same technology made it
possible for defensive forces to effectively ward off attacks. So in the long run the
automobile was not politically destabilizing, although it did bring about major changes in
the structure of society. The same could be said to be true of electrogravitics.
Estimated cost. Because of the difficulty of finding out cost information on this
secret technology, it is not possible at this time to make a definite estimate of the cost to
construct an electrogravitic spacecraft. Perhaps $500 to $600 million might be in the right
ball park. Considering that the vehicle does not require the use of expendable booster
rockets, a considerable savings in operating cost would be realized after just a few flights.
Applications beyond space exploration. Electrogravitics holds great benefits for
society, beyond its obvious ability to revolutionize space exploration. Taking a historical
perspective, it may be seen that mankind's standard of living has accelerated following the
introduction of innovations in three principle areas: energy production, transportation,
and communications. In the terrestrial transportation area, the widespread use of gravity
control technologies would revolutionize our way of life. Commuters would be able to
travel vertically as well as horizontally. Rush hour traffic jams would be a thing of the
two-dimensional past. Although, increased air traffic would necessitate the introduction
of technologies to prevent midair collisions. Transport speeds would be vastly increased
with considerable economy in fuel consumption. Antigravity vehicles would
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revolutionize farming, mining, building construction, and shipping, stimulating the world
economy beyond our wildest dreams.
Electrogravitics would bring the world closer together. It would erase the distance
barriers that currently separate the nations of the world. The ability to travel from New
York to Perth, Australia in one hour would make the peoples of the world more
internationally oriented. With the ability of cheap high speed travel, national boundaries
would begin to dissolve. People would begin addressing world problems from a more
planetary perspective, rather than from a regional perspective, thereby aiding the
development of world peace.
Electrogravitics would also bring about a new mode of energy production. By
arranging electrogravitic capacitor elements around the spokes of a wheel, all aimed in the
same rotary direction, when energized they would create a rotational gravity field, which
in turn would cause the wheel to turn like a pin wheel. In effect, the wheel would rotate
in a state of circular free fall. A device of this sort was patented by Brown in 1934 (U.S.
#1,974,483) and tested in 1955 in vacuum chamber experiments he conducted in Paris
under the auspices of a French aeronautics corporation. When energized with 200,000
volts, the speed of his rotor began to increase unchecked, reaching such a high rotational
velocity that the voltage had to be reduced to keep the rotor from flying apart. An ion
wind could not be responsible for this propulsion since the air pressure in the vacuum
chamber was less than one billionth of an atmosphere. By connecting the rotor's shaft to
a generator, theoretically the rotor could generate more electric power than it consumed,
thereby supplying an unlimited source of energy. Hazards such as are typically
associated with fossil fuel and nuclear energy generation technologies would be avoided.
Given the impending global CO2 build-up an argument could be made that it is a matter of
human survival that we declassify and commercialize this technology as soon as possible.
Related gravity technologies. Several approaches to gravity control have been
proposed. Some background may be learned by perusing the patent literature. Townsend
Brown had applied for numerous patents on his electrogravitic propulsion designs. His
U.S. patent #3,187,206 filed in 1958 and granted in 1965 is of particular interest.
However, the patents do not give any details on the variable frequency pulsed DC power
supply which is a key to the technology. Also of interest are patents by Agnew
Bahnson: 2,958,790 (1960), 3,223,038 (1965), 3,227,901 and 3,263,102 (1966). After
they were issued, the rights to them were a hot item for purchase by certain corporations
who sold and resold them to companies whose names are kept confidential. Henry
Wallace presents a different approach to gravity control which utilizes mechanical
motion. This is disclosed in his U.S. patents: #3,626,605 and #3,626,606 (1971). Sandy
Kidd of Scotland also has devised a mechanical gyroscopic device that is able to achieve a
state of complete levitation. He is now developing this technology in Dandenong,
Victoria in northwestern Australia, under the sponsorship of millionaire Noel Carrol.
In summary, if NASA were to push for the development of gravity control
technologies, they would not only be moving closer to a means of efficiently
accomplishing their own objectives, but they would also be doing a great service to
humanity.
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References.
1) Electrogravitics Systems: An examination of electrostatic motion, dynamic
counterbary and barycentric control. Report No. GRG 013-56. Aviation Studies
(International) Ltd., Special Weapons Study Unit, London, February 1956, pp. 3-4.
(Library of Congress No. 3,1401,00034,5879; Call No. TL565.A9).*
2) Brown, T. T. "How I control gravity." Science and Invention Magazine, August
1929.
3) Burridge, G. "Another step toward anti-gravity." The American Mercury 86(6)
(1958):77-82.
4) Electrogravitics Systems, op. cit., p. 19.
5) Ibid., pp. 25 - 27.
6) Ibid., pp. 9 - 10.
7) "Electrogravitics: Science or daydream?" Product Engineering, December 30, 1957, p.
12.
8) "How to 'fall' into space." Business Week, Feb. 8, 1958, pp. 51 - 53.
9) Keyhoe, Major D. E. The Flying Saucer Conspiracy. New York: Henry Holt & Co.,
1955, pp. 251-252.
10) Brown, T. T., Letter dated February 9, 1982.
Paul A. LaViolette, Ph.D.
The Starburst Foundation
1176 Hedgewood Lane
Schenectady, NY 12309
___________
* Only one library has an original copy of this. This is kept at the Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base Technical Library in Dayton, Ohio. If the panel has difficulty getting a copy,
contact me and I will send a copy that I have.
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Submission by P. LaViolette to NASA's
1990 Space Exploration Outreach Project.
Submission by P. LaViolette to NASA's
1990 Space Exploration Outreach Project.
