Quote:The detailed design of a beam-powered transatmospheric vehicle, The Apollo Lightcraft", was selected as the project for the design course. The vehicle has a lift-off gross weight of about six (6) metric tons and has the capability to transport 500 kg of payload (five people plus spacesuits) to low Earth orbit. Beam power wad limited to 10 gigawatts. The principle goal of this project is to reduce the LEO payload delivery cost by at least three orders of magnitude below the Space Shuttle Orbiter - in the post 2020 era.

The completely reusable, single stage to-orbit shuttlecraft will take off and land vertically, and have a reentry heat shield integrated with its lower surface - much like the Apollo Command Module. At appropriate points along the launch trajectory, the combined-cycle propulsion system will transition through three or four air breathing modes, and finally use a pure rocket mode for orbital insertion.

As with any revolutionary flight vehicle, engine development must proceed first. Hence, the objective for the Spring semester propulsion course was to design and perform a detailed theoretical analysis on an advanced combined-cycle engine suitable for the Apollo Lightcraft. The class determined that only three air breathing cycles would satisfy the mission, and that the ramjet cycle is unnecessary.

APOLLO LIGHTCRAFT PROJECT (PDF, 1987)

Quote:8,790 views Premiered 3 hours ago WEAPONIZED PODCAST

Two topics dominated UFO conversations this week… an underwhelming UFO report issued by the All-Domain Anomalies Resolution Office (AARO), and the astonishing revelations from former DIA intelligence analyst and UFO program manager Dr. James Lacatski. Lacatski's comments last week on WEAPONIZED generated strong reactions from the UFO public around the world. Jeremy and George sort out the impact of statements made by Lacatski and his co-author Dr. Colm Kelleher, and also take a deep dive into the new AARO report, why it failed to deliver what the public demands. As an added bonus, we resurrect an interview from the 1990's in which a legendary intelligence official candidly spoke about crash retrievals and reverse engineering programs. ••• In WEAPONIZED, Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp pull back the veil on the world of the known, to explore the unexplained. This multi-platform investigative series features exclusive interviews, never-before-seen footage, previously-suppressed documents, original audio and video recordings, and hard evidence related to UFOs, the paranormal, cutting-edge science, cover-ups, conspiracies, and big-time crimes. Original, groundbreaking conversations with government whistleblowers, spies, spooks, scientists, military officials, muckraking journalists, filmmakers, historians, artists, musicians, and major celebrities will cast a wide shadow through the other-world… and detail the human experiences that inform these extraordinary phenomena. Your curiosity will be WEAPONIZED.

Quote:AARO DIRECTOR DR. SEAN KIRKPATRICK: Thanks, Sue. Apparently, we have a bit of humor in our PA group by having a UAP briefing on Halloween. Thanks. Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming and joining on the phone. Today, per Section 1673 of the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, AARO launched the second phase of our secure reporting mechanism on the aaro.mil website.

This phase of the reporting mechanism is for current or former U.S. government employees, service members, or contractors with direct knowledge of alleged U.S. government programs or activities related to UAP dating back to 1945 to contact AARO, to voluntarily submit a report. These reports will be used to inform AARO’s congressionally directed Historical Record Report and investigations into alleged U.S. government UAP programs, due to Congress in June of 2024.
...

All information shared will be protected as personal and confidential and will only be shared with AARO staff for the purposes of contacting individuals for interviews. I’d like to emphasize that this contact form is for current or former U.S. government personnel to let AARO know that they have information of alleged U.S. government UAP programs or activities. We understand that members of the public are also interested in reporting UAP sightings to AARO. We are exploring methods for how the public can do so in the forthcoming third phase of the secure reporting mechanism, but I don’t have anything to announce about that today.

...

Q: So, David Grusch, the whistleblower who came forward to NewsNation, says he reached out to you to share his discoveries, and that you didn’t follow up. So, did you follow up and investigate his claims? He says he still hasn’t heard from you. So, ultimately, why haven’t you two connected?

DR. KIRKPATRICK: So, Mr. Grusch, since AARO has stood up and since I’ve been director, has not come to see us and provided any information.

Q: And so, he also says that he briefed you before you assumed your position in AARO. Have you had the chance to follow up on any of the inquiries that he made or talked to any of the witnesses?

DR. KIRKPATRICK: So, the last time I believe I spoke with Mr. Grusch was when I was in the J2 at U.S. Space Command about five years ago, and it was not on this topic. Now, we have interviewed a whole range of people, over 30 people now. I think we’ve interviewed most of the people that he may have talked to, but we don’t know that. And we have extended an invitation at least four or five times now for him to come in over the last eight months or so and has been declined.

Q: Okay, and real quick follow up. So, today you’re setting up this new procedure that people can come to you and talk about report previous programs that may not have been reported related to UAPs. I know you’ve got one team that just looks at old, kind of classified info and that you merge their findings with your science team that looks at sensors and physics, et cetera. Just real quick, are you finding any at all obstacles within the bureaucracy of the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. government that’s preventing you in any way from looking over old – looking over classified information to find the existence of programs?

DR. KIRKPATRICK: Absolutely not. We’ve had – we’ve had great cooperation, and we have access to anything we need.

Q: And so, is that one of the things you all are contemplating regarding this third phase, which is taking it to the broader public?

DR. KIRKPATRICK: Yes. So, third phase will meet our final legislative requirement for the broader public to report any UAP event. And we’re exploring how we’re going to do that and mitigate what we expect to be a large volume.

MS. GOUGH: Let me go to the phones again. Jeff Schogol?

Q: Thank you. I just wanted to double check on a new thing, something you are asking current and former government employees if they have evidence of a former clandestine UAP program. What makes you believe that such a thing might have existed? And if the government kept it secret before, why should a government employee trust you now?

DR. KIRKPATRICK: Well, let’s see, I currently have no evidence of any program having ever existed as a to do any sort of reverse engineering of any sort of extraterrestrial UAP program. We do have a requirement by law to bring those whistleblowers or other interviewees in who think that it does exist, and they may have information that pertains to that. We do not have any of that evidence right now. And why should they come to us?

Well, they should come to us because, well, it’s in law that we are the authorized reporting authority for them to come to, they are protected under the Whistleblower Act that they extended those protections to last year’s legislation and we have the security mechanisms by which to anonymously and confidentially bring them in, hear what they have to say, research that information and protect it if it is in truly classified. And if it’s not classified, then we can validate that as well.

(11-03-2023, 12:41 AM)EndtheMadnessNow Wrote: I doubt anything of notable substance got done...


More: AARO Director Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick Holds an Off-Camera Media Roundtable

Quote:DOD Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Office Launches New Reporting Tool

'The Pentagon launched a new reporting mechanism today for current and former military members,
federal employees and contractors to come forward with direct knowledge of alleged U.S. government
programs related to unidentified anomalous phenomena dating back to 1945.

The information is being collected by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office as part of a congressionally
directed report on historical UAP programs allegedly overseen by the U.S. government.

The Defense Department established AARO in 2022 to investigate mysterious craft operating in air and
space, on land, in the sea or under the sea that are not immediately identifiable and might pose a threat
to national security.

The new reporting form, which will be made available on AARO's website, allows current and former service
members and employees to provide unclassified summary details about programs they may have knowledge
of along with details about their affiliation with the U.S. government and their contact information. 
Once that information is reviewed AARO officials may request further details. 

"We want to hear from you," said Sean M. Kirkpatrick, the director of AARO. "The information you submit in
the form will be protected. Additionally, any information that you provide in a subsequent interview will be
protected according to its classification."
All information will be safeguarded as personal and confidential, he said.

"By law AARO can receive all UAP-related information including any classified national security information
involving military intelligence or intelligence-related activities of classification, regardless of any restrictive
access controls, special access programs, or compartmented access programs," Kirkpatrick said. 

AARO can also receive UAP-related information regardless of where that information originates within the
U.S. government, he said. Kirkpatrick emphasized that no classified information should be disclosed,
however, in the initial form available on AARO's unclassified website. 

The new reporting form marks the second phase of AARO's secure reporting mechanism.
In May, the Joint Staff issued guidance to the services and combatant commands on reporting UAP sightings
or encounters that occur during current operations.

The new mechanism for reporting historical programs does not replace previous guidance on current
operational UAP reporting. Kirkpatrick said that while AARO aims to collect information about any potential
UAP-related programs overseen by the U.S. government in the past as part of its congressional mandate,
his office does not currently have evidence that any such programs ever existed. 

"We do have a requirement by law to bring those whistleblowers or other interviewees in who think that it
does exist, and they may have information that pertains to that," he said.  "We do not have any of that
evidence right now."...'

Quote:Lehto Files investigates Michael Herrera's claims of witnessing a UFO encounter during a military mission in Indonesia in 2009. Herrera describes seeing a massive triangular craft changing colors between gray and black. After coming forward publicly in a Disclosure Project event in Washington D.C., Herrera was contacted by an alleged insider with in-depth knowledge of secret government UFO operations. The insider briefed Herrera on the history of covert UFO crash retrieval programs within the military dating back to 1947. The insider also took Herrera to a black site location where he witnessed advanced technology and secret operations firsthand. This video explores Herrera's account of his UFO sighting, his interactions with the insider source, and the implications of secret government UFO programs if true.

Quote:This week, the director of the U.S. government’s UFO analysis office stated that there is “evidence” of concerning unidentified flying object activity “in our backyard.” According to physicist Seán Kirkpatrick, who heads the congressionally-mandated All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, this alarming UFO activity can be attributed to one of two extraordinary sources: either a foreign power or “aliens.” 
To be sure, the ramifications of either would be significant. But Kirkpatrick’s comments, which come as he is about to retire after a 27-year defense and intelligence-focused career, are more intriguing because he also says that “none” of the hundreds of military UFO reports analyzed by his office recently “have been positively attributed to foreign activities.”  
At the same time, Kirkpatrick and senior defense officials have ruled out the possibility that secret U.S. programs or experimental aircraft explain the phenomena. 
While suspicious UFO cases will “continue to be investigated” for foreign links, the facts at hand appear to support Kirkpatrick’s more startling explanation for the UFO activity in America’s backyard: “aliens.” 
Aside from this remarkable development, the mere suggestion by a top government official that “aliens” could explain some UFO activity is the latest example of a striking shift in tone regarding the UFO phenomenon.  
For well over half a century, obfuscation, deflection and ridicule defined the government’s approach to what it officially refers to as “unidentified anomalous phenomena” or UAP. But in recent years, former presidents, senior defense and intelligence officials and members of Congress have speculated openly about extraordinary explanations for the most perplexing UFO incidents. 
Kirkpatrick’s “aliens” comment fits a broader pattern. Earlier this year, Kirkpatrick raised eyebrows when he co-authored a draft scientific paper with Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb hypothesizing that extraterrestrial “parent craft” could release “many small probes” to explore Earth-like planets.  
With the best-known contemporary UFO encounters occurring over the ocean, Kirkpatrick and Loeb’s suggestion that such “extraterrestrial technological probes” “would necessarily be looking for water” to refuel is noteworthy. 
More importantly, Kirkpatrick stated in a recent presentation that U.S. government sensors and servicemembers are observing “metallic orbs” that are “making very interesting apparent maneuvers” “all over the world.” 
Speaking to the Daily Mail, an intelligence source stated that there are “dozens” of unreleased videos recorded by surveillance drones, some of which show “orbs” conducting “remarkable [maneuvers], like suddenly bolt[ing] off the screen.” 
Moreover, multiple sensors have apparently observed “metallic orbs” and “translucent” spherical objects traveling at speeds ranging from “stationary to Mach 2,” or twice the speed of sound, with “no [detectable] thermal exhaust.” According to Kirkpatrick, the objects’ enigmatic flight characteristics amount to a unique UFO profile that his panel is “out hunting for.” 
Could these seemingly highly advanced “metallic orbs” have inspired the director of the government’s UFO office to theorize that “extraterrestrial probes” might be exploring Earth? 
“Metallic orbs” matching Kirkpatrick’s description have perplexed U.S. military aircrews for 80 years. During World War II, American aviators reported encounters with “large numbers of silver spheres.” The New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters, Stars and Stripes and the now-defunct International News Service all published stories in late 1944 describing military aircrews’ encounters with “mysterious silver balls which float in the air.”  
According to the reporting, the “silver colored spheres” “hang in the air either singly or in clusters” and, with noteworthy parallels to Kirkpatrick’s contemporary UFO profile, occasionally appeared “semi-translucent.” 
Newsweek followed up with a Christmas Day, 1944, article titled “The Silver Sphere Puzzle.” Echoing the enigmatic nature of the objects, the headline of a second Associated Pess dispatch read: “Balls of Silver Seen Over Reich Intrigue Science.” 
American aviators’ encounters with mysterious “metallic orbs” did not stop after World War II. Intelligence assessments of the UFO phenomenon from the late 1940s and early 1950s describe “silver balls” and “spherical” objects “of bright metallic lustre” among the most-commonly observed UFOs, alongside larger “metallic” discs. 
Capt. Edward Ruppelt, the first director of the U.S. Air Force’s two decade-long UFO analysis effort, Project Blue Book, describes several noteworthy military encounters with metallic spheres in the years just before the U.S. government adopted a policy of “debunking” all UFO sightings and discrediting witnesses, no matter how credible. 
More recently, former U.S. Navy fighter pilot Ryan Graves described how he and at least 50 to 60 of his fellow aviators frequently observed anomalous objects on their sensors while flying off the East Coast. At first, the craft proved elusive. But when aviators eventually observed them visually, including during a harrowing near-midair collision, the objects appeared to be translucent and spherical, matching World War II-era descriptions of encounters with “transparent spheres.”  
Videos and images of three “metallic orbs” and a “semi-translucent” sphere, all recorded by U.S. servicemembers, have emerged in recent years. 
In an apparent nod to the long history of U.S. military encounters with mysterious “metallic orbs,” the logo of the government’s UFO analysis office prominently features a silver sphere. A stock image titled “alien technology in a metallic ball” is hidden in a key document outlining the office’s mission. 
Not to be outdone by the executive branch’s newfound appreciation for “alien” references, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently introduced extraordinary UFO-related legislation.  
Among sweeping provisions intended to enhance government transparency on UFOs, the legislation addresses stunning allegations from many high-level current and former officials of the existence of surreptitious UFO retrieval and reverse-engineering programs.  
If passed as drafted, the Schumer legislation would codify definitions for eyebrow-raising terms such as “non-human intelligence,” “legacy [UFO retrieval and reverse engineering] program” and “technologies of unknown origin” into federal law. Moreover, it would require private contractors currently in possession of recovered UFOs or “biological evidence of non-human intelligence” to turn over all such items to the U.S. government “in the interests of the public good.” 
Marik von Rennenkampff served as an analyst with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, as well as an Obama administration appointee at the U.S. Department of Defense. 

Quote:In this first episode of the new 8 part series 'The Hidden Hand Behind UFOs' produced by the Canadian Patriot Review and co-created by Cynthia Chung and Matthew Ehret and edited by Jason Dahl, the ancient mystery religions of the pre-Christian world are introduced in order to set the stage for the growth of the UFO disclosure movement and alien mythos in the 20th century.

Quote:The Department of Defense (DoD) is codifying the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM) in regulation. The NISPOM establishes requirements for the protection of classified information disclosed to or developed by contractors, licensees, grantees, or certificate holders (hereinafter referred to as contractors) to prevent unauthorized disclosure. In addition to adding the NISPOM to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), this rule incorporates the requirements of Security Executive Agent Directive (SEAD) 3, “Reporting Requirements for Personnel with Access to Classified Information or Who Hold a Sensitive Position.” SEAD 3 requires reporting by all contractor cleared personnel who have been granted eligibility for access to classified information. This NISPOM rule provides for a single nation-wide implementation plan which will, with this rule, include SEAD 3 reporting by all contractor cleared personnel to report specific activities that may adversely impact their continued national security eligibility, such as reporting of foreign travel and foreign contacts. NISP Cognizant Security Agencies (CSAs) shall conduct an analysis of such reported activities to determine whether they pose a potential threat to national security and take appropriate action. Finally, the rule also implements the provisions of Section 842 of Public Law 115–232, which removes the requirement for a covered National Technology and Industrial Base (NTIB) entity operating under a special security agreement pursuant to the NISP to obtain a national interest determination as a condition for access to proscribed information.

(11-16-2023, 06:13 PM)F2d5thCav Wrote: ETMN-- it all boils down to the perception of those who know, that WE don't have the need to know, never mind the requisite clearances.

Cheers

Quote:John Knudsen “Jack” Northrop was born on November 10, 1895, in Newark, New Jersey. He later said, “My grammar school and high school education, outside of the school of hard knocks, was the only education I ever had.” But he was a good student and his lack of degrees was more than compensated for by his strong work ethic and drive to succeed. His decision to use his mechanical talent in the nascent aviation industry came when he saw a “pusher” biplane. In 1916, Jack got a job as a draftsman for the Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company, ancestor of today’s Lockheed Martin Corporation. During his second stint at Loughead that had been renamed Lockheed, he was the principal designer of the Lockheed Vega. The Vega was a rugged, long-range, six-seat monoplane with a cantilever wing that was responsible for many range and airspeed records. Its remarkable performance made it a favourite of such aviation heroes as Wiley Post, Amelia Earhart and Hubert Wilkins.

The Northrop Corporation’s first true flying wing was the N-1M in 1940. It was the basis of a prototype bomber, the XB-35, an elegant looking aircraft of polished aluminium. The combined flight controls – “elevons” that functioned as both elevators and ailerons and flaps that acted as rudders were mounted on the trailing edges of the wings. All major parts such as the crew nacelle, fuel tanks and bomb bays were inside the wing. It had contra-rotating propellers, two of them mounted one behind the other on each engine shaft and turning in opposite directions. However, the programme was beset by production delays and disappointing range and speed performance. Besides, with the start of the atomic age an American bomber needed to be able to carry a 10,000-pound atomic bomb and there was no way the XB-35 or even its jet-powered successor the YB-49 could house such a huge weapon in the wing. Of the more conventional designs of the Northrop Corporation, the XP-56 Black Bullet, a welded magnesium fighter was a significant World War II design. And the Northrop P-61 Black Widow, of which more than 700 were built, was the first American night interceptor. After the War came the Northrop F-89 Scorpion all-weather interceptor.

The failure of the XB-35 and later the YB-49 to be selected as the next generation bomber aircraft, shattered John Northrop. This quiet and gentle genius retired at the age of 57 in 1952 and then tried his hand at real estate, losing a fortune in the process. By the late 1970s, illness left him unable to walk or speak. However, in an unusually humane gesture for the US Air Force, Jack was shown secret drawings and a scale model of the Northrop Grumman B-2, and he recognised how it shared several features of his XB-35 and YB-49. Even the wingspan of 172 feet was similar to that of the YB-49. His lifelong passion for the flying wing finally vindicated, Northrop wrote on a sheet of paper: “Now I know why God has kept me alive for 25 years.” He died ten months later on February 18, 1981.

John Northrop

Quote:He broke a decades-long silence on the Flying Wing's demise in a 1979 television interview, accusing the Air Force of killing the project to punish him for refusing to merge his company with Consolidated Vultee. He alleged that Air Force Secretary Stuart Symington threatened him by saying, "You’ll be goddamned sorry if you don’t". Symington later left the government to head the very same Consolidated Vultee company Northrop had refused to merge with.

Symington called the charge "preposterous and absurd" and told a researcher "There was a tremendous overcapacity in the industry following World War II". He said Northrop came to him, seeking more business to help his struggling company. Symington said, "I may very well have suggested that he merge his company with Convair, who we knew was going to get business." Aviation expert Bud Baker, who studied declassified documents and public records and conducted personal interviews with Symington, Air Force generals and Northrop's chairman, concluded the cancellation "was a sound decision, based on budgetary, technical, and strategic realities."
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