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Since the beginning of time, man has dreamed of reaching the stars. Icarus tried to fly to the sun more than 3,000 years ago. Michaelangelo drew up plans for flying machines. Jules Verne dreamed up fanciful stories about flying and time machines. Einstein postulated theories on the space/time continuum.

But it wasn’t until the mid-twentieth century that we managed to put a man on the moon and were able to send probes into deep space in an effort to learn how to travel to the stars. However, even the most dedicated optimist can see that we will never make it by burning fossil fuels, or even using atomic power. They just can’t move us fast enough or efficiently enough to span the vast reaches of space. It’s time to consider radical new alternatives.

 

A recent commentator on CNN after the tragic crash of the Columbia said that we have to stop fighting gravity if we are indeed to reach the stars. Alfred F. Eberhardt, a long time resident of Bangkok, believes he has a way to do this.
Al Eberhardt Bangkok inventor of SWAS

Al, as he’s known to his many friends, has spent more than 40 years thinking about, planning and designing a device he calls SWAS (Sphere Within A Sphere), which he claims will revolutionize our lives when it is built. His concept is very simple. Place one sphere within another, leaving a small gap between them. Give them a magnetic push to get them revolving in opposite directions to create a tension between the two spheres which will neutralize gravity; what Al calls The Void. Once you achieve this state, no further propulsion help is needed.

The craft will move using external gravity, the strongest power in the universe. He says it will be possible for the craft to move so fast that we will reach other galaxies faster than the speed of light. We would not need to carry large supplies of food and water, because we would be able to return to earth just as quickly. Travelers would not feel the effects of high speed turns inside SWAS, either, because they will be traveling inside their own gravitational universe.

In the movie “Sphere” written by Michael Creighton? Al sent the SWAS idea to Michael long before the movie was ever made (He has the shipping documents to prove it.) Although the technology used to power the device in the movie is not made clear, the sphere looks so similar to Al’s idea that it is entirely possible Michael used SWAS as the basis for the story. Al was never contacted by Michael, and he never received any compensation for his ideas.

But he shrugs it off, saying it is enough that the movie has made people think about using spheres in space.

Einstein’s theories would have us believe we cannot travel beyond the speed of light. Al thinks Einstein is wrong. He points out that the one force that is present throughout the universe is gravity. Light traveling the 95 million miles from the sun to earth takes 8.5 minutes to reach us. But gravity is much faster. How can we prove that? If the sun, the main gravitational force we revolve around, were to break up the planet earth would immediately move out of orbit and seek another powerful gravitational body instead. By the time that spot of light from the sun traveled 8.5 minutes the earth would no longer be where it was.

Remember too that even light is governed by gravity. A recent article in National Geographic discussed the work done by two scientists which demonstrated that light bends around strong gravitational fields. The illustration showed light from a distant galaxy bending around a nearer galaxy with a strong gravitational field before it traveled on to reach us here on earth. So far, we have not managed to harness even a small part of the galaxy’s gravitational forces. When we unlock that secret we will have the power of the universe in our hands. If we could build a SWAS craft large enough to carry human beings Al believes we could travel comfortably in both near and deep space. The big question is: Can it be done?

Back in the 1600’s great philosophers, scientists and astronomers like Tycho Brahe, Johannes Keppler, Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz and Sir Isaac Newton came up with startling new theories on how the universe works. The next great scientific leap towards the stars didn’t occur until the 20th Century, when people like Einstein an Stephen Hawking took up the challenge. Although these great men have led the way to modern astronomy and ultimately space travel, there have always been naysayers unwilling to accept their theories. The same skeptics surface whenever Al starts talking about his theories.

Newton’s theory stating that the gravitational force between two bodies is transmitted instantaneously through space has played a big part in his calculations for SWAS. As well, he has studied the works of great philosophers, astronomers and scientists and formulated his own theories based on them.

Al wants to build a SWAS machine to prove, or at the very least challenge, Einstein’s, von Liebnit’s and Newton’s theories. If Al is right about his theories, it will be possible to move SWAS around at any speed we like. We could leave and enter the earth’s atmosphere at slow safe speeds, unlike the high speed demanded by the dangerous shuttle craft which travels about 20 times the speed of sound at its fastest on re-entry. Once SWAS gets out in space he says SWAS could instantly accelerate to speeds faster than light, enabling us to travel to the far reaches of the galaxy and back without having to carry large payloads of supplies to sustain us.

Al’s background in science goes back to his high school days when he gained science fair physics awards back in the 1950’s for his work on shifting magnetic forces. From this research, he gained an interest in how magnetism and gravity work and that started him on the road to thinking about how to neutralize gravity to make it work for us. Later, he was awarded a Bachelor Degree in Science from St. Louis University.

His interest in searching for ways to develop a new power source was strengthened when Al joined the US Air Force as a combat support group maintenance officer for the entire “Century Series” aircraft (F-100’s, 101’s, 102’s, 104’s, etc). He also supported the USAF Titan2 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile system; yet another spur to his quest for knowledge. By the time he separated out he had attained the rank of Captain.

Al has written three books in collaboration with Canadian born Franklin M. Proud. His exciting ‘Tiger in the Mountains’, published in 1977 by St. Martins Press, tells the fictionalized story of an attempt to rescue a pilot shot down over North Vietnam. His other books, also co-written with Proud during the Cold War period, are ‘Liberty or Lenin’, a comparison between the US and Soviet systems of government, and ‘Without US’, a short book that examines what effects the world would have to cope with if the US were atom bombed out of existence. Al is a staunch and loyal American, always concerned at anti-US sentiment. His books seek to explain the advantages of the US system and promote understanding.

But more than anything, Al has always been attracted by magnetism and gravity and how to control them. So it was natural that he should become interested in thinking up new ways to utilize them. SWAS is based on the spinning gyroscope principle coupled with magnetism. But he points out that the gyroscopes we use today are extremely unreliable. Commercial aircraft always have at least three on board, and even then they don’t always work properly. Al says that because SWAS uses revolving spheres instead, the gyroscopic effect is much more stable.

How did Al come up with this revolutionary idea? Funnily enough, this most modern concept came from a very ancient source. Al was reading the Bible one day and he came upon a passage in Ezekiel, chapter 1, verse 16, which refers to wheels within wheels rising up into the sky. He realized that the ancients were dreaming about a device capable of rising above the earth and traveling into space. That got him thinking and researching. Eventually, he came up with a hypothesis for building a machine that would neutralize gravity. Once he developed the basic idea, he registered it with the US copyright office in the 1980’s. Since then, he has registered additions to the original concept 5 more times. Each time, he has figured out more applications SWAS could be used for:

• Earth travel: Frictionless motors for cars, planes, boats, etc.
• Near space: Launching near-space probes and powering them without expending vast amounts of fossil fuels.
• Deep space travel: SWAS is capable of traveling faster than the speed of light, so deep space travel would become possible.
• Nano technology: SWAS could power nano engines to help neutralize the effect of gravity on our bodies.
• Weapons systems: SWAS could out-mode all current weapons systems using extremely small, powerful self-propelled projectiles.

With only three moving parts, SWAS is a perpetual motion machine that will require no outside power source once it starts rotating. Magnets on the outer shell will make it possible to steer the vehicle, speed it up, or slow it down.

Current space technology is fraught with danger. The US has lost at least 9 space craft since the start of the space program. France, Japan and Russia have lost even more between them. Space shuttles have more than 3 million parts. Many of these are selected by tender where the main criterion is the lowest price: Hardly inspiring to the astronauts who have to ride in them. The shuttle engine is the most intricate and expensive machine ever made. If even one part fails or does not perform to expectations the whole craft is in jeopardy.

Al claims we already have the technology to build a SWAS prototype. The only part that may wear out in a SWAS vehicle is the bearing between the moving spheres. But Al even has an answer for this. He points out that dentist drills spin at very high speeds using air bearings; high pressure air to cushion moving parts. This technology could be adapted to SWAS to eliminate friction and the possibility of breakdowns.

If SWAS works, the possibilities are endless. We could achieve galactic travel at speeds equal to, or perhaps even faster than, the speed of light, in perfect safety and comfort. In addition, SWAS offers a simple, elegant solution that could solve many current problems; not just space travel. It could help eliminate pollution by providing a safe, dependable, clean power source. Imagine a world no longer relying on outdated, polluting fossil fuels to power our society.

SWAS could eliminate the need for fossil fuels and give us small, light, efficient motors that would run for decades without breaking down. Apart from its efficiency, we would end up with a cleaner, quieter world: No more pollution from smoke-stacks or vehicles. A small SWAS engine would be capable of powering cars, planes, ships, and other vehicles without the need for refueling stops. If the engine is stopped for any reason, just connect up the electrical starter, spin up the spheres, and the engine is ready again to take you wherever you want to go

Deep space travel would become possible. SWAS could function not only as the propulsion system, but as the actual space vehicle itself. People carried in the interior sphere would not feel the effects of massive acceleration or turns, because of the neutralized gravity. They could sit comfortably inside their revolving shells and travel at extremely fast speeds. It could take us weeks instead of years to reach the outer limits of our own solar system and continue on to other systems.

We could build small SWAS motors capable of lifting very heavy loads, either here on earth, or in space. Imagine, for example, a small SWAS motor used in the construction industry to lift huge prefabricated building components into place.

Perhaps the first people to take up Al’s ideas and apply them will be the military. And whoever controls the technology would have a an all-powerful weapon in their arsenal. Imagine a SWAS no larger than a golf ball, spinning at extremely high speeds, launched at a building. It would punch a small, clean hole right through brick, steel, concrete, glass, and keep traveling through all the other buildings in a city block with equal force. Now imagine dozens of them hitting buildings, striking load bearing beams and snapping reinforcing steel as they travel through. Buildings would collapse in seconds. SWAS could penetrate inches-thick armor to neutralize warships, tanks, and planes. It could be launched against war satellites and destroy them. SWAS weapons would make nuclear power look puny.

Rumors have abounded for decades that the oil companies have bought up any propulsion system that threatens their livelihood. Whether these rumors are true or not, it is obvious that the oil companies have a vested interest in keeping things as they are. The vast profits to be made from the oil trade ensure that we will be forced to continue burning oil to propel our transport systems for many more years, unless we can come up with a viable alternative.

But before we can replace fossil fuels we need two things: A reliable and cheap substitute, and the collective will to implement a major change in our lives. If enough people will it, not even the most powerful oil company will be able to withstand the demand for change.

Al keeps finding new applications for SWAS. All he needs now is to find backers to build a baseball-sized prototype to prove his theories. His preparation is impressive. His business plan includes a full breakdown of the staff, facilities, equipment and funds he needs. He says that with a basic investment of 2 million US dollars, he could have a prototype ready for testing within two years.

With the prospect of global warming, a finite supply of oil, and an increasing world population, we need a source of cheap, clean power that will answer all our power requirements for the future. Gravity is present throughout the universe, so SWAS seems an ideal solution. Al has set up a website at http://www.swas.org/ which explains his theory in detail. It’s well worth a visit.

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Notes: This article was first published in The Big Chilli Magazine. Al has since found funding to build and test his SWAS. Initial tests look good and he has achieved the spin to reasonably high RPM. However, more needs to be done.

Al has taken down his website on the advice of his lawyers until further testing has been completed.