AGARDograph 313 and gyroscopic drives
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 6
| Date | March 1990 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Propulsion & physics (topic) |
| People | Nick Cook |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 107 |
| Year | 1990 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1990 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 6 |
The Anatomy of the Gyroscope, Part III (AGARDograph 313) is a 299-page technical survey published in March 1990 by NATO's Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development (AGARD). Among many topics, it briefly discusses claimed "gyroscopic inertial drives", devices that some inventors have said could produce thrust without propellant.[1]
The series
The three-part survey, the first two parts of which appeared in 1988, was edited by John L. Hollington and is generally attributed to engineer Frank W. Cousins. Part III covers the history of gyroscopic principles — from the balancing organs of flies to Johann Bohnenberger's 1817 apparatus, which it credits ahead of Léon Foucault — and types of gyroscope, including vibrating and laser interferometric designs, as well as applications in gearing, optical stabilisation, navigation and tests of general relativity.[1]
Inertial drives
The survey's discussion of "inertial drives" deals with devices claimed to produce thrust from spinning or oscillating masses. British engineer Eric Laithwaite had publicly demonstrated gyroscope effects in the 1970s that he thought might lead to new propulsion, and inventors patented several such devices. The report discusses them as claims rather than endorsing them.[1][2]
Assessment
Mainstream physics holds that such reactionless drives cannot work, because they would violate conservation of momentum, and no working device has ever been demonstrated. Writer Nick Cook cited the report in The Hunt for Zero Point as evidence of official curiosity about unconventional propulsion.[2][3]
People and topics
- Nick Cook — Jane's Defence Weekly aviation editor and author of The Hunt for Zero Point.
- The Hunt for Zero Point — Nick Cook's 2001 book on secret anti-gravity research.
On the Timeline
- Naval Research Laboratory parapsychology claim (21 February 1990) — A journalist claims the Naval Research Laboratory had a parapsychology unit.
- Steven Greer's 1990s private meetings (Mid-1990s) — Steven Greer alleges he met wealthy and connected figures at a private San Francisco gathering about UAP.
See every 1990 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- "AGARDograph 313: The Anatomy of the Gyroscope, Part III" (DTIC), UFO Scans · ufoscans.com · archived copy
- Eric Laithwaite — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Reactionless drive — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- patents.google.com · patents.google.com · archived copy
- archive.org · archive.org · archived copy
- apps.dtic.mil · apps.dtic.mil · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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