Propulsion & physics (topic)

Propulsion & physics (topic)

Type	Topic overview
Events	71
Years	1955–2023
Timeline	Show on the Timeline

Propulsion & physics is one of the twelve topics on the UAP Timeline. It covers claims and research about advanced propulsion, gravity, energy and exotic materials. The Timeline lists 71 events on this topic, from 1955 to 2023.

Key people

• Harold Puthoff — Physicist who co-founded the SRI remote-viewing research and later worked on AAWSAP and To The Stars Academy.
• Nick Cook — Jane's Defence Weekly aviation editor and author of The Hunt for Zero Point.
• Eugene Podkletnov — Russian engineer who claimed spinning superconductors reduce gravity.
• Steven Greer — Physician who founded CSETI and the Disclosure Project.
• Jacques Vallée — Computer scientist and astronomer, author of the Forbidden Science journals and a central figure in UFO research.
• John B. Alexander — Retired Army colonel who organized the 1985 Advanced Theoretical Physics group and wrote UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies and Realities.
• Bob Lazar — Man who claimed in 1989 that he worked on alien craft at S-4 near Area 51.
• Franklin Mead — Air Force propulsion engineer who edited Project Outgrowth and commissioned advanced propulsion studies.
• Albert Stubblebine — Army intelligence commander who championed psychic research.
• Thomas Townsend Brown — Physicist and inventor who promoted "electrogravitics" and proposed Project Winterhaven.
• Mark McCandlish — Aerospace illustrator who drew the alleged "Alien Reproduction Vehicle".
• Bernard Haisch — Astrophysicist at Lockheed who co-developed the zero-point field theory of inertia.
• Christopher "Kit" Green — CIA physician and analyst who became a long-time contact of Jacques Vallée and studied UAP-related injuries.
• Ed Dames — Former Army remote viewer who founded Psi-Tech.
• Ning Li — Physicist who tested superconductor gravity claims at NASA Marshall.
• Alfonso Rueda — Physicist who co-developed the zero-point field theory of inertia.

Programs, places and terms

• Unidentified flying object — An object in the sky that can't be identified; the older term for UAP.
• Anti-gravity — The idea of cancelling or controlling gravity for propulsion.
• U.S. Air Force — The U.S. military service that ran the official UFO projects from 1947 to 1969.
• Unidentified anomalous phenomena — The U.S. government's current term for unidentified objects in the air, in space and underwater.
• Zero-point energy — The lowest possible energy of a physical system, which some hope to tap for power.
• AAWSAP — The Defense Intelligence Agency's UAP research program of 2008–2010, carried out by Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies.
• NASA — The U.S. civilian space agency, created in 1958.
• U.S. Navy — The U.S. naval service, whose pilots reported the UAP encounters revealed in 2017.
• McDonnell Douglas — The aerospace company that ran several quiet studies of UFOs and propulsion.
• Area 51 — The secret Nevada test site where spy planes and stealth aircraft were developed.
• Lockheed Martin — The aerospace company whose Skunk Works built the U-2, SR-71 and F-117.
• Wright-Patterson Air Force Base — The Ohio air base that housed Project Blue Book and is linked to the Hangar 18 legend.
• Edwards Air Force Base — The Air Force flight test center in California.
• Remote viewing — The claimed ability to describe distant places by mental means.
• Disclosure Project — Steven Greer's campaign for UFO disclosure, best known for its May 2001 press conference.
• MJ-12 — Disputed documents describing a secret committee managing crashed saucers.

Events

• Louis Witten and the Martin gravity institute (1955) — Physicist Louis Witten says he was recruited into a Glenn L. Martin institute studying gravity.
• Joshua Goldberg and Air Force gravity research (Late 1956) — Wright-Patterson's labs hire physicist Joshua Goldberg to manage relativity and gravity contracts.
• Varo edition of The Case for the UFO (April 1956) — Navy researchers receive an annotated copy of Morris Jessup's UFO book with strange handwritten notes.
• NATO science grants and anti-gravity claim (1958) — NATO begins supporting anti-gravity research through its science grants.
• Graduate Research Center of the Southwest (1961) — Texas Instruments sets up a research center that hires gravitational physicists.
• China Lake surveyors' sighting (1966) (18 January 1966) — Two surveyors at China Lake see a UAP pass low overhead and maneuver.
• Robert Wood's McDonnell Douglas study (1967) — McDonnell Douglas physicist Robert Wood says he was tasked with gravity propulsion research.
• Project Outgrowth (June 1972) — An Air Force propulsion lab report, Project Outgrowth, examines advanced propulsion ideas.
• Sandia uncle crashed saucer story (1982) (29 September 1982) — Puthoff relays a story of a scientist who studied a crashed saucer and copied an antigravity device.
• Hutchison Effect (1983) — An Army intelligence group studies the 'Hutchison Effect', claimed to produce antigravity.
• Puthoff leaves SRI (1985) (Summer 1985) — Hal Puthoff leaves SRI to explore alternative energy sources.
• National Aero-Space Plane contracts (1986) (April 1986) — Defense contractors receive contracts to develop a hypersonic single-stage-to-orbit plane.
• Veritay propulsion report (1988) (April 1988) — A contractor submits a propulsion report to the Air Force led by Franklin Mead.
• SAIC electric propulsion study (1988) (April 1988) — SAIC studies electric propulsion for Edwards AFB.
• Bob Lazar goes public (15 May 1989) — Bob Lazar goes public, claiming he worked on alien craft at S-4 near Area 51.
• AGARDograph 313 and gyroscopic drives (March 1990) — A NATO aerospace study discusses a gyroscopic device said to counteract gravity.
• SAIC electromagnetic-gravity coupling study (1990) (August 1990) — An SAIC study tests whether electromagnetism and gravity can be coupled for space propulsion.
• Aviation Week secret aircraft report (1990) (1 October 1990) — Aviation Week reports 45 sightings of craft in the Southwest that hover, then go supersonic.
• NRO Blue Fire document (28 July 1991) — An alleged NRO document warns of UFO-group protests near Area 51.
• Ed Dames and Psi-Tech anti-gravity work (9 March 1992) — Ed Dames claims a firm asked his remote viewing company for antigravity work.
• Stubblebine's Mars lecture (1992) (22 May 1992) — Gen. Albert Stubblebine allegedly claims there are structures beneath the surface of Mars.
• British embassy report on triangles (1992) (22 December 1992) — The British embassy reports on the U.S. reaction to triangular UAP sightings.
• Puthoff pitches vacuum energy (1994) (1994) — Hal Puthoff says he pitched vacuum energy technology to oil companies.
• Dan Sherman's second assignment (1995) (Early 1995) — Sherman says he moved to a second Preserve Destiny location.
• Mathew Bevan (Kuji) arrest (21 June 1996) — A British hacker is arrested over intrusions into U.S. military and NASA systems.
• Boyd Bushman magnetic beam patent (17 April 1997) — Lockheed scientist Boyd Bushman patents a magnetic device.
• NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics workshop (1997) (August 1997) — NASA holds a breakthrough propulsion physics workshop.
• Ning Li superconductor gravity test (1 August 1997) — NASA and university scientists publish gravity-related experiment results.
• Steve Wilson and Project Pounce (19 August 1997) — A retired Air Force colonel claims a secret space program shoots down unfriendly UAP.
• James Cox antigravity classification (1998) (January 1998) — An antigravity newsletter proposes seven possible types of antigravity devices.
• University of South Carolina gravity generator (1 March 1998) — University of South Carolina scientists say they are developing a 'gravity generator'.
• Zero-point field theory of inertia paper (1998) (August 1998) — Puthoff and Lockheed researchers publish a paper on inertia and vacuum energy.
• Blackburn–Warmkessel drag reduction patent (22 August 1998) — Lockheed's Ron Blackburn patents a technology to improve vehicle efficiency.
• Henry Dakin's San Francisco building (20 February 2000) — Vallée describes a building in San Francisco renting to paranormal research groups.
• Paul Czysz and the zero-point energy claim (November 2000) — A former McDonnell Douglas employee says a friend found a way to tap zero-point energy.
• Advanced Deep Space Transport group (2001) — A deep-space propulsion study group examines exotic propulsion.
• Mark McCandlish and the Alien Reproduction Vehicle (9 May 2001) — Illustrator Mark McCandlish says gravity propulsion was reverse-engineered from recovered craft.
• Puthoff on black-budget physics (2002) (2002) — Puthoff tells author Nick Cook there is solid evidence of secret aerospace programs.
• Thomas Bearden's list of energy researchers (May 2002) — Thomas Bearden lists researchers he says work on related energy technology.
• Boeing and Podkletnov (BBC report, 2002) (29 July 2002) — BBC News reports Boeing researchers are looking at a Russian scientist's antigravity work.
• Peter Sturrock on zero-point energy (2003) (22 March 2003) — Stanford's Peter Sturrock tells Vallée he doubts Puthoff's zero-point energy work.
• Transdimensional Technologies (March 2004) — An Alabama company says it is developing antigravity technology and mentions UAP.
• Sarfatti–Puthoff zero-point debate (25 January 2006) — Physicist Jack Sarfatti claims a debate with Puthoff was arranged at the intelligence director's office.
• Czysz–Froning advanced technology paper (1 February 2006) — A paper for the Air Force Research Laboratory explores quantum vacuum propulsion.
• Tajmar spinning superconductor experiment (28 March 2006) — Austrian researchers report possible gravity effects from a spinning superconductor.
• E-Systems reverse-engineering claim (28 April 2006) — Steven Greer claims an E-Systems executive told him the firm did UAP reverse engineering.
• Gary Gochnour plasma aircraft patent (18 May 2006) — An Army veteran patents a saucer-shaped plasma aircraft design.
• Martins–Pinheiro inertia papers (1 February 2007) — Lisbon physicists suggest electric and magnetic fields could alter inertial mass.
• DARPA zero-point energy test (2007) (27 May 2007) — Haisch tells Vallée a DARPA-funded zero-point energy test is negative so far.
• Fort Worth HFGW jamming claim (2008) — An anonymous website claims UAP communications jamming was tested near Fort Worth.
• Dan Burisch and J-Rod (2008) — Dan Burisch claims he studied an extraterrestrial being at the S-4 facility.
• JASON report on high-frequency gravitational waves (October 2008) — The JASON science advisers evaluate high-frequency gravitational waves for national security.
• CSETI energy briefing (2009) (13 February 2009) — CSETI allegedly briefs Obama officials and senators on breakthrough energy.
• Alexander on Edward Teller (15 February 2011) — Col. John Alexander says physicist Edward Teller would be among the few who knew the truth.
• Bearden's vacuum energy claim (2013) (24 December 2013) — Thomas Bearden claims he saw energy extracted from the quantum vacuum.
• Navy metamaterials research (2014) (March 2014) — A Navy budget document mentions research on metamaterials to control electromagnetic waves.
• Vietnam "enemy helicopters" and HMAS Hobart (22 June 2014) — A former analyst says some Vietnam-era 'enemy helicopters' were actually UAP.
• McCandlish documentary account (2014) (December 2014) — Mark McCandlish says a friend saw a man-made disc at Norton AFB.
• Andrea Rossi and suppressed energy claims (15 November 2015) — Steven Greer alleges the Army shelved alternative energy inventions.
• Project Greenglow (December 2015) — A BAE engineer discloses Project Greenglow, a UK gravity-control research project.
• Greer's underground facilities list (18 April 2016) — Steven Greer names underground facilities he claims are tied to secret programs.
• Movement and Maneuver in Deep Space (April 2017) — Air Force doctrine officers publish a framework on using emerging technologies.
• Salvatore Pais patents (2 November 2017) — Navy scientist Salvatore Pais files a patent for a triangular craft with claimed antigravity effects.
• Area 29 and Omega operations claim (30 May 2018) — A remote viewer claims targets were linked to 'Omega' operations involving advanced propulsion.
• Podkletnov gold-layer claim (2020) (4 February 2020) — Russian engineer Eugene Podkletnov claims an effect resembling gravity modification.
• Sarfatti's slow-light Tic Tac theory (20 March 2020) — Physicist Jack Sarfatti suggests the Tic Tac used a metamaterial that slows light.
• Mark Sokol and Falcon Space (29 June 2021) — A company founder says he built a device to detect gravity changes in light.
• AAWSAP DIRD release (25 March 2022) — The DIA releases 37 research papers from the AAWSAP program.
• Death of Amy Eskridge (15 June 2022) — Scientist Amy Eskridge dies in Huntsville; a former UK officer makes claims about it.
• Brandon Fugal's conviction (27 October 2022) — Skinwalker Ranch owner Brandon Fugal says senior figures convinced him reverse engineering is real.
• Eric Weinstein and Renaissance Technologies (22 February 2023) — Eric Weinstein speculates a hedge fund may hold math advances relevant to gravity.