Page 86 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - Jan-Feb 2018, Vol 27, No 1

86 The Roswell Incident and Project Mogul

The Roswell Incident and northeast angle (as reported by Major Jesse night, and showed him the debris. Colonel Duffy
Marcel); this angle is entirely consistent with told the fellow, “It looks like some of the stuff
Project Mogul Moore’s analysis. you've been launching at Alamogordo.”
Charles B. Moore has been repeatedly What is the bottom line on the Roswell
criticized in the UFO literature for changing Incident, NYU, and Project Mogul? In Moore’s
Continued from Page 85
some of his earlier statements. He was words, “When the wind information is coupled
interviewed for William Moore’s book on the with the similarities in the debris described by
On June 4, 1947, Flight 4 was launched, and
Roswell Incident. After hearing Bill Moore’s the eyewitnesses—the balsa sticks, the ‘tinfoil,’
tracked as far as Arabela, New Mexico, only 17
description of the wreckage (including details of the tape with pastel, pinkish-purple flowers, the
miles from the location of the debris field on the
supposed 10-inch furrows running some 500 smoky gray balloon rubber with a burnt odor,
Foster ranch. Flight 4 was still aloft when the
feet), Charlie Moore responded by saying: the eyelets, the tough paper, the four-inch-
batteries ran down, and contact was lost. Brazel “Based on the description you gave me, I think diameter aluminum pieces and the black box—
reported that he found the debris on the ranch on
that could not have been our balloon.” Balloon to the materials used in our balloon flight trains,
June 14, 1947, although most UFO proponents
trains like Flight 4 were far too light to make it appears to me that it would be difficult to
put the time of this discovery as a few weeks
large furrows in the ground. The issue is not that exclude NYU Flight 4 as a likely source of the
later, in early July. Brazel didn’t take the debris
Charles Moore said the wreckage couldn’t have debris that W. W. Brazel found on the Foster
into Roswell until July 7, 1947, by his own
been a balloon—it’s that he said his flights ranch in 1947.”
account; this date is disputed as well.
couldn’t have plowed the alleged “furrows.” On
Recently, Charles Moore has developed
another note, Moore and other Mogul Dave Thomas
a brand-new line of evidence even further
participants originally thought the debris Brazel
supporting a link between the Roswell Incident found must have been from one of NYU’s Dave Thomas, a physicist and mathematician, is
and Project Mogul. UFO researcher Kevin
polyethylene balloon flights from early July president of New Mexicans for Science and
Randle recently provided Moore with National
1947. He held this opinion until just a couple of Reason and a fellow of the Committee for
Weather Service wind data for early June 1947.
years ago. These large, transparent polyethylene Skeptical Inquiry. He is currently a
Moore, who has lived and breathed atmospheric
balloons were used for the first time ever in the scientist/programmer at IRIS/PASSCAL in
physics most of his adult life, analyzed this data
summer of 1947 and would have looked strange Socorro, New Mexico, and also teaches classes
in detail. His analysis deals with three NYU
even to experienced balloon watchers. However, in physics, psychology, and critical thinking at
flights : Flight 4 (June 4, 1947), Flight 5 (June
after seeing the reports and photographs from New Mexico Tech. []
5), and Flight 6 (June 7). The Weather Service
1947 for the first time, Charles Moore realized
wind data are compatible with what is called a that Flight 4 was a much better candidate for the
baroclinic weather system moving through the The Following Interviews From
Foster ranch debris than a polyethylene balloon.
area. As this “trough aloft” slowly passes by, the THE ‘X’ ZONE RADIO SHOW
So he has changed his opinions on the incident,
winds aloft will shift from blowing toward the
but only because better data became available. with Rob McConnell
northeast, then toward the east, and then toward
Moore’s presentation included Are Available on iHeart Radio,
the southeast. At very high altitudes, however,
fascinating details on the background of Project Spreaker, SoundCloud and XZBN.
this type of system produces high-level winds in
Mogul. He noted that the discovery of the
the upper troposphere at cross directions to those
acoustic “duct” between the troposphere and the
at lower levels. Furthermore, the prevailing Recent Interviews (Dec 17-Jan 18)
stratosphere came about as a result of a World
winds in the stratosphere during the summer War II era analysis of globally propagated sound
months blow toward the west, while those in the - Seth Breedlove
waves produced by the volcanic explosion of
transition region just above the tropopause blew - Lucinda Gabriel
Krakatoa in 1883. In one of their flights, he said
toward the northwest during the early part of - Robert Murch
the NYU crew attempted (without success) to
June 1947. For example, Flight 5 proceeded - Tara Greene
detect explosions from the British destruction of
mainly east as it rose through the troposphere; - Dr. John Brandenburg
German installations on the island of Helgoland
when it entered the stratosphere, however, it was - William Lawrence
(off the north German coast) in April 1948.
carried to the northwest. After some balloons - Dr. Robert Davis, PhD
While UFO proponents allege a lack of
burst and Flight 5 descended, it again headed in contemporary references to “Project Mogul - Major Ed Dames
an easterly direction until it landed. Balloon Flights,” Moore says the project was so - Thornton “TD” Barnes
When Moore used the Weather Service - Jennifer McCallum
compartmentalized that such references simply
wind data and NYU altitude information to - John Potash
may not exist. Any mention of these flights will
simulate the probable paths of the flights with - Nicki Scully
instead be labeled as NYU constant-level
recorded ground tracks (Flights 5 and 6), his - Richard Gordon
balloon research.
results agreed quite reasonably with the - Jeffrey Daugherty
Several UFO authors claim that the
measured balloon paths—Flight 5 drifted - Dr. Michael Grosso
wreckage, and possibly alien bodies as well,
mainly to the east, landing near Roswell, while - Paul Jeffrey Davids
were secretly flown to Wright Field in Dayton,
Flight 6 took a more southwesterly route. Moore Ohio for analysis. By coincidence, Moore says - Dr. Doris E. Cohen
then extended his analysis to Flight 4, the he and the rest of the NYU balloon crew stayed - Derek Gilbert
Roswell candidate. He used the wind data for - Michael J. Tamura
over at Wright Field the evening of July 8, 1947,
June 4, 1947, and assumed the flight reached - Ira Pastor
en route back to New Jersey, just as the Roswell
altitudes comparable to those of the subsequent - Dr. Robert E. Bartholomew
story was breaking. Moore says they first
two flights (which were made with very similar - Howard Bloom
learned of the incident while in Dayton, and
balloon trains). - John Prados
figured that it was probably caused by one of
Moore’s analysis indicates that after - Jonathan Gray
their recent polyethylene balloon flights.
Flight 4 lifted off from Alamogordo, it probably - Lamar Waldon
The September 1994 Air Force report
ascended while traveling northeast (toward indicates that the Brazel debris also made its - Dr. Kristen Willeumier, DDS
Arabela), then turned toward the northwest way to Wright Field. During an Air Force - Mark Shaw
during its passage through the stratosphere, and - Ginny Nadler
interview of Mogul participant Colonel Albert
then descended back to earth in a generally - Leland Judsyn
C. Trakowski, he recalled a July 1947 telephone
northeast direction. Moore’s calculated balloon - Dr. Seth Shostak
call from Colonel Marcellus Duffy, who was
path is quite consistent with a landing at the - Mark Edward Pyle
stationed at Wright Field and was intimately
Foster ranch, approximately 85 miles northeast - Dr. Robin Buck
knowledgeable about both Project Mogul and
of the Alamogordo launch site and 60 miles - Dr. David Gruder
military weather equipment. Duffy told
northwest of Roswell. Furthermore, the debris - Mesheril ManyFeathers
Trakowski that a fellow from New Mexico came
was strewn along the ground at a southwest-to- to Dayton, woke him up in the middle of the - And Many, Many Other!