The Situation- Part B

Keywords: UFO, unidentified flying objects, Bible, flying saucers, prophecy, Paleo-SETI, ancient astronauts, Erich von Däniken, Josef F. Blumrich, Zecharia Sitchin, Ezekiel, biblical prophecy, spacecraft, spaceship, NASA, Roswell, aircraft, propellant, extraterrestrial hypothesis, Jacques Vallee, interdimensional hypothesis, Project Blue Book, Condon Report, ancient history, Jesus, Judaism, Christianity, Middle East, end times, engines, rockets, helicopters, space travel, aliens, abductions, alien abductions, crop circles, extraterrestrials, astronomy, economics, biology, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Space Shuttle, Apollo, stars, planets, solar system, scriptures, design, fuel tank, aerodynamics, fuels, hydrogen, oxygen, wheels

Chapter 1

    What remains fantastic is that such a spacecraft was a tangible reality more than 2500 years ago!  [p.3] 

    Of course, these results are in sharp contrast to text interpretations by many devout and learned men during all the past centuries. We have, however, to bear in mind the obvious fact that, throughout this long period of time, no man-made flying machines and rockets have existed. An interpretation of the text in this direction was therefore excluded in advance. By necessity, interpretations of Ezekiel's enigmatic statements had to be sought in the only possible direction, which was that of religion and particularly of mysticism. Therefore, nothing could be more wrong than to undervalue the endeavors of those men.

    Besides, it must be emphasized that a technical interpretation of Ezekiel's writings has become possible only since December 1964 and this despite all the progress of the last decades. At that time, Roger A. Anderson, a leading engineer of NASA's Langley Research Center, published an article on structures technology (Reference 8) in which he described the shape of a spacecraft he had developed for entry into planetary atmospheres. This is the very shape we find in the central body of the spaceship. Without the knowledge of this fundamental possibility, a technical interpretation of the text would not be feasible even today.

    The controversy on whether contacts with extraterrestrial civilizations is or is not possible is alive today throughout the world and involves various scientific and engineering disciplines. Despite wide discrepancies of views there are some points of general agreement. It is unanimously agreed that we can establish contact only with such civilizations (or they with us) as have either attained or surpassed our stage of development. Therefore we are justified in assuming that we are capable of at least some estimate of the effort required for such ventures both in technical and financial terms. The latter point is significant since we must assume that an extraterrestrial civilization too will have developed. concepts of values and therefore will know financing problems. This notion, combined with the reality of the spaceships actually seen by the prophet, makes it appear unthinkable that their operation could have been concentrated on one single man. One is compelled to draw the inevitable conclusion that such missions must have encompassed a broader span in terms of their distribution in time and geographical locations. Evidence of such a scattering would provide a broad basis for the knowledge of extraterrestrial visits. Research toward this objective will hopefully become the joint goal of archaeologists, linguists, and engineers, working in close cooperation.

    Of course the finding of tangible debris possibly resulting from crashes or crash landings could become highlights of such research work. Many would even regard the finding of such debris as a prerequisite for admitting the existence of spaceships in prehistoric or early historic periods. The similarity between this kind of skepticism and the "doubting Thomas" is quite limited, since in our case figures and technical know-how as well as literary and archaeological findings take the place of an act of faith. However, and beyond any personal attitudes, tangible findings would be of such decisive significance that a brief treatment of this question is appropriate.  [p.5] 

    For the time being, archaeology is the only source of relevant information. Its primary field of activity is in the areas of human settlements. On the other hand, as we know from our own experience, the chances of a crash or a crash landing in or close to a settlement are extremely low. But even in the event of such an unlikely occurrence the debris would have been very quickly removed and the damaged buildings restored. It is true that small pieces of metal from the body of the spaceship or possibly parts of some electronic equipment could be found in the soil, assuming favorable corrosion conditions. However, the probability of an archaeologist going to work with spade, hammer and brush on the exact spot of the crash is many times smaller than the chance of the crash itself. Accordingly, one can scarcely hope, for the time being, to find such traces of a crash within the limits of human settlements. However, truly scientific archaeology is still but a few decades old . . .

    What archaeology did not find—simply because it practically had no chance to—is far more than compensated for by what it really brought to light: Very substantial material is available even in the field discussed here. Its sifting and exploitation is, however, outside the competence of archaeologists, it is in the field of engineering and requires highly qualified engineers whose structural knowledge will enable them to detect functional relationships.

    In the field of literature the Book of Ezekiel is definite evidence—though of unusual nature—of the likelihood of further findings. But here again the task of evaluation falls within the competence of engineers.  [p.5]