Re: C of Earth...

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Terry Fritz" <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>

Hi Matt,

>Hi Terry, Jim, All! 
>
>        One of the frequent problems encountered when trying to evaluate 
>historical events is the tendency to project our own age's knowledge and 
>understanding back onto an historical era. For example, since Wardenclyffe 
>was dismantled in 1917, 

"Dismantled" is sort of an understatement =:-)

http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/2001-02/ByeByeWardenclyffe.jpg

>it could not have been built to utilize any 
>characteristics of the earth or the atmosphere that were unknown prior to 
>1917. 
>        Oliver Heaviside and Arthur E Kennelly independently predicted the 
>existence of an electrically charged portion of the atmosphere in 1902. 
>However, it was not until 1924 that its existence was detected by Edward V. 
>Appleton. The term "ionosphere" was applied to the Kennelly-Heaviside layer 
>even later. It seems unlikely therefore, that Tesla was referring to the 
>ionosphere as we now know it, in his experiments either in Colorado Springs 
>or in the construction of Wardenclyffe. I suspect that he was referring to 
>that layer of the atmosphere in which thunderstorms originate. This is, of 
>course, unless one wants to credit Tesla with being the "true" discoverer of 
>every mathematical and scientific principle of the 19th and 20th centuries, 
>pre-empting everyone from Hertz and Heisenberg to Einstein and Oppenheimer. 
>
>Matt D. 

I was wondering if the conductivities, altitude, and other information was
available to Tesla in his time.  "I" am not sure how advanced this science
was in the late 1800's but it seems unlikely that Tesla would have had such
great information as:

http://jupiter.agu-dot-org/epubs/jgr_space/ja9905/1999JA900056/f04.html

available to him.  No doubt there were giant unknowns about Tesla's system
in "his" day but I wonder if we can get the darn thing to work in "our" day
to sort of vindicate this situation that is always so touchy.  So far, it
is looking pretty messy.  However, if it can be at least shown to not be
totally impossible, it would be a bit of help for the memory of Tesla's
efforts in this area.

AC power, Tesla coils, and such were a tremendous credit to Tesla.
However, this world power transmission thing is like a black cloud over his
work.  The arguments for the system so far have been very weak.  Especially
to use more down to Earth scientific folks.  Thus, maybe a little probing
by us less "faithful" into this area is needed.  Using modern tricks (short
of nuking the planet :-)) to get the system to work is fair as long as we
don't stray too much from Tesla's ideas.  History has already made the
"real" decision but determining if there "was" another path is interesting
and informative.

No idea where this thread will lead.  Perhaps a not too stupid way can be
determined to make Tesla's system somewhat workable.  Perhaps it will still
end up being totally unworkable.  I don't remember such efforts before
trying to seriously identify solve the obvious problems.  We have so much
information and talent available now that another serious look at Tesla's
system of transmission of electrical energy without wires deserves another
look.

Cheers,

	Terry