Freethought & Rationalism Archive

LeftCoast · 10-31-2003, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Koyaanisqatsi
It's certainly plausible that a story about the Navy testing various ways to jam radar got turned into, "Navy Testing Invisibility" tabloid nonsense.

I agree, it's not hard to imagine the phrase "This will make a ship invisible to radar" being mangled in translation to "this will make a ship invisible" with the rest following by natural progression.

Given that when this little rumor presumably started, RADAR was very mysterious and for someone to not understand that something can be invisible to radar and yet perfectly visible to the unaided eye is not that hard to imagine.

Jesse · 10-31-2003, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LeftCoast
I agree, it's not hard to imagine the phrase "This will make a ship invisible to radar" being mangled in translation to "this will make a ship invisible" with the rest following by natural progression.

Given that when this little rumor presumably started, RADAR was very mysterious and for someone to not understand that something can be invisible to radar and yet perfectly visible to the unaided eye is not that hard to imagine.

The whole "Philadelphia Experiment" story was simply invented by Carlos Allende aka Carl Allen, it had nothing to do with misunderstood RADAR experiments or anything else that the Navy was actually doing. See the link in my last post.

enigma555 · 10-31-2003, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Koyaanisqatsi

You would have to somehow encapsulate a certain volume of spacetime and generate enough power to somehow instantly freeze frame all atomic movement within that volume in order to then chart the exact positions of hundreds of billions of quadrillions of electrons and atoms and quarks of the strangest kind (); copy them, somehow, perfectly; annihilate the originals; then paste the copies into a different location (i.e., a different energy state) and then somehow set it all back into proper "continuum" within that different energy state.

I canna do it Captain! I canna figure out how ta build the Heisenberg compensator!

copiae · 11-01-2003, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Koyaanisqatsi
Well, all you'd have to do is backtrack stealth technology and you'll arrive around the time of the alleged Philly experiment.

We had stealth fighters operational in '91, which means they were in testing phase in the seventies and eighties, theoretical in the fifties and sixties. The ability to jam radar came out just about at the same time radar did (late forties/fifties).

It's certainly plausible that a story about the Navy testing various ways to jam radar got turned into, "Navy Testing Invisibility" tabloid nonsense.

But let's say it was true and the Navy successfully teleported an entire aircraft carrier (and crew), only to have the crew all fused with the ship (which is part of the legend). That would have meant we had teleportation ability for at least fifty years now to work out all the "kinks."

...

Another nitpick: equating the time required for different technological research is not an effective way of gauging how likely/unlikely something is.

Anyway, from what i remember reading a several years ago, apparently the U.S Navy were testing a new method of making thier ships invisible (Not to radar, to the naked eye), using something to do with magnetism. Anyway, something happened, and the ship, and its crew, were not only found fused together, but they also were no longer at the location where the test was conducted (and apparently the movement was almost instantaenous).

I don't know how plausible this is. But one thing is for sure, if it really did happen, you can be sure that the Navy has not abandoned this program

andy_d · 11-02-2003, 10:06 AM

Actually, the US Navy doesn't seem to be terribly interested in Low Observable technologies. AFAIK they built a technology demonstrator a few years back, but don't seem to have done much since. None of their designs in the pipeline seem to have LO as a major design feature.

By contrast, the leaders in the field, the Swedes, have had LO vessels deployed for a while now. If the US were interested, they could presumably negotiate a tech transfer from them.

To be fair though, the US navy is still very much a blue water focussed force, and that kind of vessel is pretty hard to hide. They may be relying on better C4I and EW to hide their big boats.

nogods4me · 11-03-2003, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by enigma555
I canna do it Captain! I canna figure out how ta build the Heisenberg compensator!

We're ganna need more power Captain. And the di-lithium crystals canna take the strain. I will need to re-route the sensor array.

Corona688 · 11-03-2003, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by andy_d
The groundwork on "stealth" technology was done by the British, not the US. They gave the technology to the US because they didn't have the resources to develop it into working airframes.

It started with a Russian book, actually, but I don't think it's realistic to say that it was invented in any one place. The tons of mathematical and aeronautical concepts necessary for a plane like this doubtlessly came from many places.

andy_d · 11-04-2003, 05:39 AM

Very true. Maths doesn't carry a passport.

nermal · 11-04-2003, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by nogods4me
We're ganna need more power Captain. And the di-lithium crystals canna take the strain. I will need to re-route the sensor array.

Indeed. Surely if there were a PE and it worked, however badly, the mess would have been sorted out way before 2300, and Kirk wouldn't have to steal the cloaking device from the Romulans. It's obvious the whole thing's a crock!

Ed

trunks2k · 11-04-2003, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by copiae
Anyway, from what i remember reading a several years ago, apparently the U.S Navy were testing a new method of making thier ships invisible (Not to radar, to the naked eye), using something to do with magnetism. Anyway, something happened, and the ship, and its crew, were not only found fused together, but they also were no longer at the location where the test was conducted (and apparently the movement was almost instantaenous).

I don't know how plausible this is. But one thing is for sure, if it really did happen, you can be sure that the Navy has not abandoned this program

ummm... You're joking right? What you are reffering to it the "Philadelphia Experiment". THAT'S WHAT THIS THREAD IS ABOUT!

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11-02-2003, 10:06 AM	#15
andy_d Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: umop apisbn Posts: 568	Actually, the US Navy doesn't seem to be terribly interested in Low Observable technologies. AFAIK they built a technology demonstrator a few years back, but don't seem to have done much since. None of their designs in the pipeline seem to have LO as a major design feature. By contrast, the leaders in the field, the Swedes, have had LO vessels deployed for a while now. If the US were interested, they could presumably negotiate a tech transfer from them. To be fair though, the US navy is still very much a blue water focussed force, and that kind of vessel is pretty hard to hide. They may be relying on better C4I and EW to hide their big boats.

11-04-2003, 05:39 AM	#18
andy_d Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: umop apisbn Posts: 568	Very true. Maths doesn't carry a passport.

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