Subj:	A Massive Ion Beam?
Date:	99-01-12 08:53:55 EST
From:	BitrrSweet
To:	Phikent

Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 23:04:38 -0700
From: "Terry W. Colvin" 
Subject: IUFO: FWD: (FT) A Massive Ion Beam?

->  IUFO  Mailing List

From: Brian Robson Unknown Host 
< http://nmp.ipl.nasa.gov/ds1/tech/sep.html >

In addition to this some heavy plasma science has been carried out using
Xenon ions on various targets indicating deliverable energies sufficient to
cause nuclear fusion.
 Unknown Host 
< http://clri6ft.gsi.de/~lantzsch/0197/Plasma.html >

This paper also shows that ion beams are far better at penetrating targets
delivering a high energy kinetic punch.This is far more efficient than lasers 
which are heavily attenuated by vapour from the target. Using nuclear warheads 
to destroy asteroids would create highly unpredictable results and even worsen 
planetary damage.It is a very short step from electric ion propulsion systems 
to powerful electromagnetic ion beams several orders of magnitude more powerful.

Current Scenario
There are large inquiries circulating for very high purity Xenon and
Krypton.These gases are inert and very ionisable.High purity is required to
avoid corrosion of the jets where the ions are formed.These ions are accelerated 
by electromagnets to extremely high velocities.Some ground based accelerators achieve 
.999 light speed.The statistics are staggering.  Using the formula 
Force=3D =BD mv=B2, 1kg of  Xenon boosted to a conservative 1/10th light 
speed will deliver a force of 450 Billion tons to its target.Furthermore the ion 
beam can be highly controlled and could be used to accurately control the trajectory 
of an asteroid.The beam will hardly be attenuated in the near vacuum 
of space. This energy would be delivered over the course of days and weeks as 
controlled pulses.Regarding the question of recoil, the ISS is orbiting the Earth 
and 50% of the time will be pointing one way at the asteroid and 50% the other. 
Any acceleration and deceleration of the ISS will be cancelled out by changing 
the polarity of the electromagnets.The beam is designed to be  operated in both 
directions.This year a two ton magnet called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer was 
taken into space on the shuttle at a cost $20 Million "to search for antiparticles". 
The experiment was not subject to peer review and only 15% of the data was downloaded.
Replying to criticism of the AMS ,Dr Ting of MIT replied that even if the spectrometer 
did not detect antiparticles it would be used to "examine the behaviour of other charged 
particles".The AMS is due to be installed on the ISS in 2002.

Finally in an issue of Newscientist dated 20th November confirms the
existence of a large Xenon storage tank on the ISS. Strangely, a search of
NASA websites fails to mention anything about this large component.

Disclaimer
The above information has been gleaned from the Internet and Scientific
periodicals.Pictures are courtesy of NASA and must not be used for
commercial purposes.

Postscript
If this hypothesis is correct it begs the question: Is this a "just in
case" scenario or do the powers that be know that impact is imminent?
If the latter is the case you certainly would not like this to become
public knowledge,would you?

Terry W. Colvin, Sierra Vista, Arizona (USA) < fortean@primenet.com >