Should NASA Resurrect BPP?

[Synergy]

( .pdf poll results: http://www.americanantigravity.com/documen...vey-Results.pdf )

For the latter part of the 1990's, NASA financed Marc Millis and the Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project to investigate anomalous phenomenon that might lead to new propulsion technologies.

This public-opinion poll was launched in November 2005 as a joint-project by American Antigravity & The Enterprise Mission non-profit corporations. Its intent was to gauge public interest in a possible restructuring of the NASA BPP program to facilitate community-based space-activism.

NASA supported the Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project to seek the ultimate breakthroughs in space transportation: (1) propulsion that requires no propellant mass, (2) propulsion that attains the maximum transit speeds physically possible, and (3) breakthrough methods of energy production to power such devices. Topics of interest include experiments and theories regarding the coupling of gravity and electromagnetism, the quantum vacuum, hyper fast travel, and super luminal quantum effects. Because the propulsion goals are presumably far from fruition, a special emphasis is to identify affordable, near-term, and credible research that could make measurable progress toward these propulsion goals.

It should be noted that the BPP Project was the only officially sanctioned NASA effort to research cutting edge technologies like Antigravity & FTL-drives. Since the closure of the BPP Project, the landscape of AG research has matured into a massive Open-Source effort that could now greatly benefit from a liason project to interact in an official capacity with NASA, leading us to wonder if perhaps there might not be several benefits to resurrecting the project to capitalize on the latest & greatest in bleeding-edge space technology research.

Edited February 26, 2006 by Prophecy Guru

[magnetar]

I have read one paper on the proceedings of a conference on these matters, and the most interesting presentation by far was Robert Forward. What Millis had to report was that he had essentially dispensed with all comers, except for noting that a further look into 'lifters' might be warranted.

If that isn't telling! It essentially says nothing even comes close, so far! The lifters remark

seemed tongue in cheek.

As far as research goes, I imagine that one concern now is to replace the retiring boomers, who were the rocketeers of the previous generation. There is not much incentive to go into aerospace research, or rocket design, if other professions are more lucrative. Bush's space program may be a means of providing the funding, while educators try to encourage more science grads.

As for breakthrough physics, I really don't know. Of course, there is always cutting edge research of various sorts. Engineers may be given a task to perform, and they find a way. Or, someone plods along in a lab to do basic research on optics, vapor deposition,

superconductors, etc. But, real and novel applications or discoveries have to stem from funding that prior-reviews the research. Even with black-ops (whatever that is).

NASA did look into the superconductors and gravity, for $600K. The researcher left to do her own research, though. 'Too much pressure to produce results'...

And, then there are the previous icons of physics, like the Teller generation.

Who knows what they funded, or accomplished along the lines of secret research.

Who knows? My gut feeling is if something of novel design were understood, some independent discovery would have repeated that, and published.

It may be that hand in hand with astrophysics, experimental physics and its discoveries will proceed over decades; but make these new breakthroughs, eventually.

Edited February 27, 2006 by magnetar

[PadawanOsswe]

other methods of fueling and space flight should most definatly be researched.

[Aristocrates]

yes, yes it should