Even Stanton Friedman thinks Bob Lazar is a fraud, and that is like Michael Vick calling someone a dog hater….

http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/sflazar.html

Yes, the same Stanton Friedman who isn't too fond of the Skeptical Inquirer:

http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/sf-mufon-020309.html

Sorry if you addressed this in your podcast, I haven't gotten to listen to it all.

Sorry, yes you did address the Stanton Friedman investigation. Good stuff, hope to listen to the rest tonight.

Bob Lazar–fraud. As if mediums aren't enough….

Listened to the podcast, had to respond to some of the particle physics bits.

First of all, carbon 14 decays into nitrogen 14 by emitting a beta particle. In other words, one of the neutrons in the carbon turns into a proton and fires off an electron (and an antineutrino, I think).

As for element 115, you are correct that its hard to make. However, making it one proton at a time, working up from a stable element, would be impossible with our current technology and methods. Instead element 115 was created by firing a moderately sized atomic nucleus at a really big atomic nucleus. In this case they fired calcium-48 at americium-243. So far as I know, the experiment has not been repeated outside of Dubna Russia, but it has been repeated there three times. I know of at least one other team, in Japan, that's working on it. I think the plan is to try both the calicium fired at americium method as well as a different approach that fires germanium at bismuth.

As for Lazar's claims, walking out with a pocket full of element 115 seems unlikely. The currently known isotopes have halflives of 32 and 87.5 milliseconds for isotopes 287 and 288 respectively. However, the real magic number is theorized to by isotope 299. Since that particular isotope has not yet been synthesized it is possible that it could turn out to be stable enough to carry around. However, it seems likely that the halflife would be just minutes or hours at best. Even if it is completely stable, there's nothing about it that would cause any particular interaction with gravity that'd be different than any other conglomeration of protons and neutrons.

@Scott knows whereof he speaks. Fortunately, his points slam Master Lazar even further into the ground. Unfortunately for him, his erudition means that I'll be bugging him before I make any more particle physics statements, then blaming him for my mistakes.

I suppose the biggest problem with Lazar's stories is he never really says what he did. "reverse-engineering alien technology" is a pretty broad field. I think he could get specific on at least ONE project he supposedly worked on.
"Their propulsion system uses Element 115 " dosen't really say anything … was there a little door that they would open and shovel more in when they wanted to go faster ?

Since his job was to figure out how the stuff worked you think he could tell us something about that ?

Logisti and Stephen,

I do not understand the argument about Element 115. I mean I understand the process involved to create it and I also know how unstable it is. No need to go into that. According to Bob Lazar's website, he claims that "the Americans were given the Element 115 by alien vistitors."
http://boblazar.com/closed/gravity.htm

Stating this, it implies that "alien visitors" had a stabilized version of it. Whether mankind has done so or not is irrelavant. For example, I could say that I just made a time machine. You can probably state 244 reasons as to why I probably didn't. Yet, if I say alien visitors just gave me a time machine, that changes the argument completely. The alien visitors represent unique and unknown technology. Of course though…the argument then turns to whether or not I am crazy and/or simply lying about everything. Still though, there would be no need to refrute the argument of the time machine based upon mankinds knowledge and technology since it is now based upon alien knowledge and technology. (Of course, in calling me crazy, you run the risk of not getting a ride in said time machine…which I may or may not have…)

So, are you saying that at one point Bob Lazar said that S-4 was making a stable version of Element 115? If so, I can then see the argument. If, however, he said that he had taken some of the stablized version of the alien's Element 115, then whether or not mankind can reproduce it is immaterial.

The Doctor – "Since his job was to figure out how the stuff worked you think he could tell us something about that ?"

Well, check out the website that I linked. You can look over his rantings about gravity. But overall, I agree with Scott who said "Even if it (Element 115) is completely stable, there's nothing about it that would cause any particular interaction with gravity that'd be different than any other conglomeration of protons and neutrons." Lazar talks about "gravity amplifiers" yet I'm not quite clear how Element 115 plays into it.

Nothing really not to understand about the Element 115 debate: I was wrong. I had a (in retrospect, kind of major) misunderstanding about physics– I thought it was proton count that determined elemental stability, and thus that Lazar's claims to have walked off with a stable sample of Element 115 were insane. After the podcast, I did some further research and confirmed Logisti's position. Aliens may indeed have created a stable version of Element 115 through some kind of advanced technology. There is, of course, no proof of that.

I added the "Fact Check" basically stating that Logisti was right and I was wrong, but I probably should have made it even more explicit, or even trimmed the debate down.

We don't script the podcasts in advance. We agree on a topic, do some research, then record. As a result, sometimes one or the other of us says something wrong. Now that we're moving into areas like UFOs, I'm going to need to spend more time researching these claims before shooting my mouth off. I'm looking forward to it.

Revenent – That link illustrates what I'm saying -

From what he's saying "This piece of element 115 is the source of the gravity A wave …"
"We access this gravity and amplify it, lensing it to counter act the gravity…"

Just how does one go about "accessing, amplifying or lensing" gravity, Bob ?

In one of his little movies he mentions the heat from this Element 115 reactor gets turned to electricity by a "near 100% efficient thermo-electric generator "

Sounds like a neat gadget, how about building us one of those, Bob ?

Stephen- "I added the "Fact Check" basically stating that Logisti was right and I was wrong, but I probably should have made it even more explicit, or even trimmed the debate down."

I "kind" of heard the fact check, but not all of it. I love the sound effects added to the woman's voice (whoever she may be). It's a cool effect that adds to the overall podcast. However, if she speaks at length, it is sometimes hard for me to hear all of it. I don't listen to the podcast with headphones, just my computer speakers…which are "ok" but certainly not the best.

The Doctor- "Just how does one go about "accessing, amplifying or lensing" gravity, Bob ?"

Yeah, an excellent question. I can't help but to look at that website with that "what is he talking about" look on my face. I think the more that one knows about science, the more absurd the website becomes…

Good point. I can reduce the sound effect volume. The woman's name is Vicky, and she lives inside each Mac computer.

Revenant –

I had never seen that link before but after seeing it I'm amazed that anyone could take him seriously …

… detailed multiple graphics on how to do basic geometry – then when you get your wedge of Element 115 cut and milled precisely right ( care to give us dimensions, Bob? ) simply pop it into your " Mr.Fusion© " and you're good to go for the next 30 years or so.

Vicky is okay but too bad we can't generate TTS for SARAH's voice (from "Eureka"). Although I think the only reason it cracks me up is because I always picture Neil Grayston dressed in full-Fargo wardrobe recording the lines in that creepy/amusing falsetto.

FYI, the call-sign of the Area 51 commuter planes I mentioned in the podcast is "JANET", for anyone interested.

@Stephen I'd be happy to help. Just remember my expertise is just an amalgamation of amateurish interest, an Internet connection, and a physics-major roommate in college.

Taking a look at Lazar's site, he holds onto sensible physics for the length of about a sentence or two. If isotope 299 of element 115 is particularly stable, it could be used as a potent energy storage medium. You could use it to fuel a fission reactor the way we do with uranium or plutonium. Of course, I'd expect a block of Uup tossed into a reactor to go off with a tremendous bang as the fission byproducts caused a chain reaction. Lazar's claims of a stable and sedate working life of a few decades for a single homogeneous block seems unlikely.

Leaving aside what might have been used for fuel, I'd like to talk basic conservation of mass/energy. Lazar says a craft operated on 223 grams of Uup. Assuming completely efficient mass/energy conversion gives us 2*10^16 Joules. Assuming the craft only masses as much as a Honda Civic (1,192 Kg) gives us a top speed of 0.0137c (minus relativistic effects). Lazar says the aliens are from Zeta Reticuli, 36.6 light-years away. If we ignore acceleration time, this gives us a travel time of at least 2,672 years.

Of course, that doesn't address any of the gravity techno-babble. If the aliens can use heretofore undiscovered types of gravity waves, lenses, and beams to warp space time to their liking, then all bets are off. If you like that level of scientific explanation, allow me to recommend some further reading: http://is.gd/22GqL

Revenant stated:
"he claims that "the Americans were given the Element 115 by alien vistitors."
Stating this, it implies that "alien visitors" had a stabilized version of it. Whether mankind has done so or not is irrelevant."

If Lazar stated that the Aliens revealed a prime number greater than 31 and less than 37, It would be safe to call him a lair. I don't care how advanced the aliens are, they can not produce such a prime number as easily shown by exhaustive search. Likewise, there are a limited ways to create an isotope of element 115. For every element, there is a limited sweet spot where the isotopes are more stable. If we check each of these isotopes and they are all unstable, then Lazar is a liar.

Here is a tangential argument against a stable form of 115:
Our planet is made up of all the left overs from countless supernova explosions which create smattering of every possible element. The unstable ones decayed long before the supernova dusts reformed into planets, and so our earth has ample amounts of all the somewhat stable elements in all the stable isotopes. Since we find no naturally occurring element 115, it is probably safe to assume there are no stable isotopes of 115.

Not that I want to support Lazar, but I don't think we can assume that the universe when the Earth formed was homogeneous enough that every planet would have equal componants of all possible elements.

Never said that all planets should have equal amounts of all elements, but they should and do have traceable amounts of all stable elements. Can you name any stable element that does not exist in detectable amounts on the earth?

Billhunter- "Never said that all planets should have equal amounts of all elements, but they should and do have traceable amounts of all stable elements."

Hmmm…can you please provide evidence that "all planets" DO have traceable amounts of all stable elements? That's a pretty bold statement. I can't even say with any certainty what Venus is comprised of and you're assuming something about planets in other galaxies? Perhaps you didn't intend on adding in the words "and do" in that sentence?

A couple of things Bill. First, my argument still stands. You quoted me yet left out the most important aspect to the argument, which is…"The alien visitors represent unique and unknown technology." Another way to say it, is that entering the "alien defense" is like bringing in magic or even "God-like" attributes. One cannot intelligently argue against it. How can we? If Bob Lazar said that the alien visitors gave him a pink unicorn that spoke Italian instead of a stabilized version of element 115, would it matter? Not in the least. Whether Earth has a pink unicorn that speaks Italian or not is immaterial at this point in the argument because the argument itself has just self-destructed…

The other point that I'd like to make is that your comparison of finding a whole prime number between 31 and 37 to creating a stabilized version of element 115, and no offense intended, is a poor one. Please allow me to explain…

Finding a whole prime number between 31 and 37 is an absolute no. But when it comes to the "island of stability"…I want no part in absolutes. We are only scratching the surface at this moment. I mean mankind has only synthesised about 30 atoms of Ununpentium and have only had a handful of direct decays of the parent element that have been detected. Lets not pretend that this is old hat and that we know everything that there is about it. Can I say with any certainty what our understanding and capabilities will be in 100 years? 1,000 years? 100,000 years? Nope. For the record, regarding element 115, I think that the existence of a stable isotope is unlikely. But that's as far as I'll go. I refuse to say, by your comparison, absolutely no.