Spiritual Forum

New “Flying Tea Kettle” Could Get Us To Mars in Weeks, Not Months

by JASON MAJOR on JUNE 26, 2012
<http://www.universetoday.com/95991/new-flying-tea-kettle-could-get-us-to-mars-in-weeks-not-months/#><http://www.universetoday.com/95991/new-flying-tea-kettle-could-get-us-to-mars-in-weeks-not-months/#>
<http://www.universetoday.com/95991/new-flying-tea-kettle-could-get-us-to-mars-in-weeks-not-months/#><http://www.universetoday.com/95991/new-flying-tea-kettle-could-get-us-to-mars-in-weeks-not-months/#>
69<http://www.universetoday.com/95991/new-flying-tea-kettle-could-get-us-to-mars-in-weeks-not-months/#>

Want to stay on top of all the space news? Follow
*@universetoday*<https://twitter.com/#!/universetoday> on
Twitter

<http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/hst_mars270.jpg>

At 54.6 million km away at its closest, the fastest travel to Mars from
Earth using current technology (and no small bit of math) takes around 214
days — that’s about 30 weeks, or 7 months. A robotic explorer like
Curiosity<http://www.universetoday.com/84648/watch-how-curiosity-will-land-on-mars/>
may
not have any issues with that, but it’d be a tough journey for a human
crew. Developing a quicker, more efficient method of propulsion for
interplanetary voyages is essential for future human exploration missions…
and right now a research team at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is
doing just that.

This summer, UAHuntsville researchers, partnered with NASA’s Marshall Space
Flight Center and Boeing, are laying the groundwork for a propulsion system
that uses powerful pulses of nuclear fusion created within hollow
2-inch-wide “pucks” of lithium deuteride. And like hockey pucks, the plan
is to “slapshot” them with plasma energy, fusing the lithium and hydrogen
atoms inside and releasing enough force to ultimately propel a spacecraft —
an effect known as “Z-pinch”.

“If this works,” said Dr. Jason Cassibry, an associate professor of
engineering at UAH, “we could reach Mars in six to eight weeks instead of
six to eight months.”

*Read: How Long Does It Take To Get To
Mars?*<http://www.universetoday.com/14841/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-to-mars/>

The key component to the UAH research is the Decade Module 2 — a massive
device used by the Department of Defense for weapons testing in the 90s.
Delivered last month to UAH (some assembly required) the DM2 will allow the
team to test Z-pinch creation and confinement methods, and then utilize the
data to hopefully get to the next step: fusion of lithium-deuterium pellets
to create propulsion controlled via an electromagnetic field “nozzle”.

Although a rocket powered by Z-pinch fusion wouldn’t be used to actually
leave Earth’s surface — it would run out of fuel within minutes — once in
space it could be fired up to efficiently spiral out of orbit, coast at
high speed and then slow down at the desired location, just like
conventional rockets except… better.

*“It’s equivalent to 20 percent of the world’s power output in a tiny bolt
of lightning no bigger than your finger. It’s a tremendous amount of energy
in a tiny period of time, just a hundred billionths of a second.”*

– Dr. Jason Cassibry on the Z-pinch effect

In fact, according to a UAHuntsville news
release<http://uah.edu/news/items/10-research/2501-slapshot-to-deep-space>,
a pulsed fusion engine is pretty much the same thing as a regular rocket
engine: a “flying tea kettle.” Cold material goes in, gets energized and
hot gas pushes out. The difference is how much and what kind of cold
material is used, and how forceful the push out is.

Everything else is just rocket science.

*Read more on the University of Huntsville news site
here<http://uah.edu/news/items/10-research/2501-slapshot-to-deep-space>
and
on al.com<http://blog.al.com/space-news/2012/05/new_research_could_power_trip.html>.
Also, Paul Gilster at Centauri Dreams <http://www.centauri-dreams.org/> has
a nice write-up about the research as well as a little history of Z-pinch
fusion technology… check it
out.<http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=23442&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=z-pinch-powering-up-fusion-in-huntsville>
Top
image: Mars imaged with Hubble’s Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2 in March
1995.*


Read more:
http://www.universetoday.com/95991/new-flying-tea-kettle-could-get-us-to-mars-in-weeks-not-months/#ixzz1yzhx9HrZ

................................................................................................................................................

But here was a guy who actually went to Mars through the secret base of the chinese government

Conversation with
A Man Who Went to Mars
by Morgan Kochel
I wasn't looking for an interview to do, let alone one of an astronaut who had been to Mars, yet this is what I stumbled upon.

In February of 2012, I was relaxing at home and perusing people on Twitter, looking for interesting people to follow. Out of the usual batch of UFO researchers, alternative news feeds, and so-called "conspiracy" theorists that I enjoy reading Tweets from on occasion, the bio on one account in particular caught my eye.

"I was part of a team of 3 astronauts that went to Mars
on a privately funded secret mission,
2 are now dead,
they're killing us to preserve the secret."

Needless to say, I was quite intrigued.

What followed was a very interesting conversation between this man, Chad Johnson (not his real name), and me about his amazing experience, and how he has been on the run ever since his daring escape from a remote base in the middle of a desert somewhere near Mongolia once he discovered he was in danger from the very people who employed him. While I can in no way verify his story, I can also offer no evidence that he is lying. More importantly, to myself at least, he has asked for help in making his story known to those who might be interested, and to hopefully get word to his family that he's alive and well. It is also hoped that by telling his story, he will be able to attract some sort of protection from the right people.

His story isn't one of aliens, advanced secret technology, or time travel, but of the reality of a secret space program. Many accounts have come out on YouTube and online discussion forums about the possibility of U.S. astronauts going to Mars, but as far as I know, this is the first time that one of the astronauts themselves has come forward to tell the public about just such a secret space trip to the red planet.

The following is our conversation that we had utilizing Twitter's Direct Messaging (DM) system about said Mars adventure, offered here for any and all to view. (Chad wished to use Twitter due to its current relative security.) If this story is true, it should serve to show us all that much, much more goes on in the various space programs than we are ever told about in the mainstream media.

We are all learning a great deal this year already about things that have been previously hidden to the majority of Earth's people, thanks mostly to the proliferation of the Internet and the ease with which we can all now find all sorts of information that was previously quite hard to come by for the average person. While utilizing a great deal of discernment and skepticism is always good advice in this new "Age of Revealing," a balance must be sought between the need to immediately label something as "true" or "untrue" without having access to all the facts. In other words, I think it's best to keep one's mind open, take in all the information one is interested in, and then simply see what happens. So many are quick to shout "LIAR!" or "SHILL!" when there is simply no evidence for it one way or the other, only one's own fear of being duped. Not hastening to judgement is a sign of wisdom, not gullibility. It is in this spirit that I offer the following story, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did hearing about it!

[The interview has been edited only for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Bits of conversation that were not relevant to the story have been removed for ease of reading. Questions regarding this story can be directed to the contacts listed at the end of this document.]

BACKGROUND

Morgan: So, please tell me a little bit about your background.

Chad: I went to Portland State, Maine, and studied math and after a few jobs wound up in the U.S. Air Force.

M: How long were you in the CIA? Would you be willing/able to talk about what that was like?

C: I was seconded to the CIA for about two years; ironically, part of my brief was to observe some of the foreign scientists at NASA.

My CIA days were mainly whilst training at NASA and were evidence of the paranoia the organization had towards any foreign national working. In a high security government installation, I think a Russian spy was found in deep cover whilst I was away...Chapman? She was the kind of Operative the CIA always knew existed but struggled finding until they changed their recruitment program to seconding people in places such as NASA, etc., and away from recruiting directly from a person's current position.

I can tell you now that most of the major IT companies in the U.S. have covert operatives observing them, including Google, Facebook, etc. Probably Twitter, as well, although that is small compared to the others. They approach you and offer training and clandestine payment arrangements so you're not tracked. That way, the IRS isn't alerted to then monitor your activity. They also task you with certain requirements, such as hacking into e-mail accounts, etc. It's a lot easier to do it from the inside, and also a lot cheaper. I actually have to travel to Ohio for my training. Not a lot to it. Being ex-Air Force, they have a complete record on me already, so I just had to do some refresh work on espionage tactics. I couldn't believe how much goes totally unreported to anyone, though. The CIA is truly a law unto themselves. They control so much, like the flow of communications. Any security issues go through them; the FBI are nothing compared to them, and they know how to create a diversion away from the actual story. It's frightening and easy to see why so many people are scared of them.

M: Wow, thank you so much for that. Very interesting! How did you become involved in a trip to Mars?

C: As NASA wound up their space program -- huge mistake, as they are falling behind -- I wound up in Europe and was contacted about a job. Simple as that. It was a privately funded mission to Mars. At first, I thought they were joking, but there was a lot of money offered, so I met their team. It was a Russian/Chinese joint venture that would launch from a remote part of China, and they wanted us to collect samples for testing. I want this story told so that people know what really goes on behind the conspiracy theories.

M: Who would you like this story to reach?

C: It would be good to show my family through this that I'm still alive. But if you're expecting time travel, aliens, and teleportation, you will be disappointed. Sorry, but none of that happened to us.

M: Nope, I have no expectations. I was intrigued by your bio, and if you have a concerned family, I have even more interest in helping you. If you're okay with this, I'll be transcribing our conversation for easier reading and posting online at some point.

So, once you started this program, what happened? What kind of travel was used? How long did it take?

C: Good about no expectations as there are no green men ‹ H.G. Wells was wrong. I may also be sporadic, as I am on the move a lot. Training lasted twelve months, very intense, including psychiatric tests. It took us about 230 days to get there, and slightly less back. We used rocket technology regularly available now. Just bigger tanks and more thrust. Nothing unusual in equipment to get there, but better radiation protection, as you can imagine, due to journey time: high risk = high pay.

Gobi Desert, SIte of Launch


This [map, above] was roughly the location of our base in the China desert near the Mongolian border [source: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gobi_desert_map.png], pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It was also a temp base and well hidden. That last Russian mission (2011) was probably sabotaged. It was state-backed, and they won't declare the fault, which probably means foul play. I reckon the mission planned this year will also mysteriously fail, as well. Mars is a mining company's dream, and they'll want to keep it secret. As long as people speculate about failed missions and little green men, their eyes are taken off the real reason for failed missions.

M: Yes, I know those little "men" aren't green. ;) Interesting - I suspected sabotage, too. What kinds of minerals are up there? Also, where on Mars did you land, and why do you suppose rockets [as opposed to, say, the newer plasma rockets] were used?

C: We landed near Ares Vallis. Our employers got some data about the Sojourner landing, and this was the place they wanted to explore. We took the same type of collecting devices used by geologists, which is why this had to be a manned mission, as no robot could do this. There were plenty of minerals that we analyzed on the way home: metals, particularly gold(?), and some other substance that was a form of composite like carbon fiber, but already in a usable form. The list of items gathered was long, all of it valuable, some were totally unique, others were more mundane. I think part of our mission was to evaluate the commercial viability of future mining missions, and also to ascertain potential value related to the density of minerals per square meter of Martian surface. Then they could work out tech requirements to create some kind of mining mission. Also, [they were interested in] the potential to use some indigenous fuel substance on Mars, which would dramatically reduce the fuel requirements and, therefore, the weight of the outbound journey.
Ares Vallis

    This amazing panorama of the Ares Vallis flood plain made the front pages of newspapers around the world in July 1997. It was taken by the Mars Pathfinder lander and features the tiny, 23-pound Sojourner rover nuzzling a rock. The lander and the rover recorded weather patterns, atmospheric data and the composition of many Martian rocks, which apparently had washed down the channel eons ago. The rover, capable of changing course when it met obstacles, captured the imagination of the thousands who followed the mission on the Internet.
    NASA Jet Propulsion Labratory


The rockets we used were an advanced version of the area rocket, nothing else was available. Like I said, no time travel, plasma rockets, etc. Still, it was reliable enough to be considered in the real world. Sabotage of the Russian mission was to prevent immediate follow-up to our findings.

M: That was quite interesting. Thank you for that. Now, you said earlier that you "escaped." Why might these people be attempting to potentially cause you harm, or worse?

C: The only reason they would have wanted us dead was to preserve the secret from others so they could get a head start. Nothing about conspiracies, just greed. Moon missions probably stopped as there's nothing of any value there.

M: What did you eat on the trip?

C: We had a strict protein and carb diet for example, increased sleeping patterns to preserve food, etc. All this took about a year to train for, but it's very boring and not what people want to hear.

M: Not boring at all! You went to Mars! It's still very interesting and quite important. People will want to know this, so I must ask: Did you see any UFOs or other unusual objects in space?

C: We did record some interesting sights on the cameras, but nothing conclusive. Also, it was immediately sent back and deleted from our computers, so we couldn't review them. I'll bet the shuttle got some interesting footage, through! Plenty of rumors when I was there, but no one on those missions spoke to us.

M: How does Mars look compared to the pictures that the public has been shown? Take a look at this video showing alleged photos of Mars.


C: Mars is exactly like on those photos.

M: When was the last time you saw your family?

C: I had no contact with my family for over two years now, and it was limited before the mission.

M: Is there an atmosphere on Mars?

C: The atmospherics are not suitable for sustaining life as we know it ‹ too gaseous and thin. The rock formations are fascinating, though. They allude to a previous time where there may have been life or something more sustainable. I just wished we had more time on the surface. That region was perfect since hardly anyone had been there, so nobody bothered to question us.

M: Why do you want your story told now?

C: The reason for going public now is that we got back about three months ago, and after debriefing, I knew something was wrong, so I went on the run. The public should know the truth because, before we know it, big business will control the wealth of resources on Mars and they [the public] will lose out. It's about supply and demand. Boring, I know, and not a great story, but essential that people know about this scandal. Although U.S. foreign policy has long been controlled by the flow of oil, this time they may miss out because of the recent NASA budget cuts.

M: What was it about the return briefing that alerted you and convinced you of a need to escape?

C: The fact that our chief engineer was chastised for talking about our arrival back on the phone to someone is what alerted me of possible issues. We were told not to discuss anything in exact terms such as timings, etc., as we would compromise the mission. Also, we were promised a "keep quiet bonus" of many millions for not divulging our findings on Mars; obviously, that alerted me to an issue! We were also prevented from leaving our base unless escorted. This was after the month or so of rehabilitation that it took to regain body strength. As you can imagine, we all wanted to get out and try to contact our families, but were told we couldn't. That immediately made me think something was wrong. All our money was in Swiss deposit boxes in cash, and we had no way of getting it or communicating without supervision.

We were told before we left that we would face up to three months of testing and decontamination procedures when we returned, but I only did about six weeks, as I escaped once I found out what was happening to my colleagues. I feel sick and dizzy from time to time, but it is difficult to treat when no one believes you! They were testing my colleagues to see what improvements were needed to ensure the safety of future missions. In effect, we were highly-paid guinea pigs. I don't doubt I wasn't privy to everything that went on. As I said, I was really on the fringes of the CIA.

M: I'm sorry to hear you feel sick! What do you think is wrong?

C: I'm going for tests this week, I don't think those [space]suits were up to much. I feel weak and sick sometimes. You could actually be writing my Last Will & Testament, not that anyone will believe me, or at least that's what I'm used to.

M: Hey, don't talk like that! You're back now and alive, so therapy should be able to help you. Can you tell me a bit more about what made you suspect foul play?

C: Yes, when I was looking around the base, I accidentally found a room where they were carrying out tests on one of my colleagues. We were being tested for the effects of a prolonged mission. I plotted my escape and got out that night. As you can imagine, being in the middle of nowhere, I embarked on quite a journey. CIA training comes in useful sometimes.

You have to realize these people will be pissed that I've gotten away, survived, and managed to connect with someone. I may stay low for a while whilst I undergo treatment, if I need it.

M: Ok, you said that you saw them testing your colleague. I understand that this may be a difficult memory for you bring up, but can you tell me what it was you saw specifically that freaked you out? Were they hurting him? Or was it something else? Could it have been they were trying to assist him and, if not, what was it about what you saw that made you suspect these people were dangerous to you?

C: The night before I saw him there, we were moved into individual quarters for, and I quote, "our own safety." We had a shared suite of rooms with a main living room, but these rooms were more like cells and had the standard double entry system with a buffer room to disinfect anyone entering the rooms. We had an allowable amount of time to leave these rooms, and we had to wear protective antivirus suits, as we were told that they thought an infection had been detected in one of us, and they wouldn't say who it was. This was a lie because we were clear. When I was allowed out of the room, my escort took me down a corridor, which must have been a mistake because I managed to look into one of the rooms and saw my colleague being examined. He was dead; it was an autopsy. I managed to slip my guard in the restroom and escaped.

M: Wow! That's a good reason to be concerned! How did you survive once you escaped from there?

C: I was lucky. I spent a few days aimlessly roaming the desert, and then I bumped into one of the many nomadic tribes who helped me get safe passage out of there. I headed for Mumbai, hitchhiking and walking, and then got aboard a freight ship heading for Europe. In all my training, I was always taught self-reliance and to be resourceful. I always thought this could be a dodgy contract, so I had stored up funds and duplicate ID's in safety deposit boxes in certain parts of Europe, and I headed to these places. Safe deposit boxes are so easy to conceal anything you like in them, as no one questions them. Amazing, really.

M: How long were you in the desert?

C: Luckily, only in the desert for a few days before bumping into a nomadic tribe. There are loads of them in the desert, thank God for that slice of luck!

M: Do you think other people before you have been to Mars, as well?

C: NASA could easily have launched a manned mission to Mars, except successive presidents have stopped it, according to some NASA engineers. The reason was that NASA couldn't guarantee the safety of the crew and, therefore, it was deemed as too risky in political terms as no president wanted to be seen to preside over the unnecessary deaths of U.S. astronauts. That is why NASA hasn't launched one ‹ again the political reasons came to influence science.

M: Were you able to take any pictures of anything that caught your interest in space while on your trip?

C: Anything that we recorded on the cameras wasn't stored on board but simply sent back, and the cache was cleared by Mission Control. I mean, it's difficult to confirm anything we saw, but there were a few things that weren't obviously space debris or something else that we recognized.

M: What is your impression regarding life, if it ever existed, on Mars?

C: I wouldn't rule out life in previous times on Mars, as certainly there could have been, as we had limited access to any samples. Once collected, they had to be securely stored to safeguard against contamination and were vacuum transferred when we got back. Also, I'm pretty sure they created a UFO diversion to cover our return. This was a well-funded mission, and I'll bet some of those who are funding it are in the upper echelons of Russian and Chinese society and capable of pulling off such a stunt. That's another reason why they wanted us kept quiet.

M: During the trip itself, were you in any sort of stasis, or just regular waking and sleeping?

C: We were on a regular sleeping pattern. Stasis is still not feasible.

M: How much space did you have?

C: We had a reasonable amount of space ‹ bigger than a moon mission and enough space to have some "space," if you know what I mean.

M: How did you get along with the other astronauts in a confined space for such a long trip?

C: We spent several months training in close proximity to each other and were all Americans, which surprised me, and it shows how little faith they had in, say, a Russian or Chinese astronaut. We had thousands of hours of films and TV shows, as well as game consoles so, in truth, we were rather spoilt! Although, it did sometimes get claustrophobic.

M: Sounds kinda fun! What computer games did you play?

C: You'll laugh, but we were encouraged to play on the Wii a lot, as it also doubled up as exercise. We also had the usual shooter games and some puzzle games, as well.

M: Were there any arguments or disagreements during the trip?

C: We never fought, though we did argue a lot about the games, and that was discouraged. We had weekly assessments from a psychiatrist back at base, but the further we got into the mission, the harder these became due to the time delay in Comms [communications], but they helped us understand our anxieties and why we were arguing. Apparently, similar techniques are used on long-term submarine missions ‹ you know, the ones that go away for months. It helped us cope, but the idea of playing Wii sports is not in keeping with image of an astronaut, I know!

M: Were you frightened at any point on this trip?

C: You're never scared, you just have a heightened sense of awareness of danger. It's strange; you train for it, and you never really feel like anything bad will happen. It's just that you have to be extra cautious about everything you do. Illnesses, for example. If someone felt ill, or had a headache even, tests and medication were immediately given and the results recorded. This, I think, was also to examine data on long-term space travel and how the body copes with it physically. We had a daily routine of exercise and a very strict diet, so we were very well-catered-for ‹ just like guinea pigs, as I found out.

M: What was landing on Mars like?

C: Landing was awful! Very bumpy where we landed, but full of the right kinds of samples that they wanted. It was weird -- after all the images, Mars is not really a mystery. We see so much of it on TV.

M: How long were you on the surface?

C: We were on the surface for about 65 hours, enough time to gather samples and collate gas makeup readings of the atmosphere, and to explore a little bit. Radiation was always going to be an issue, so we had strict allocations of surface time, then we had to return.

M: What did you see when you got out of the lander? Could you see Earth? Did you see any vegetation or liquid water?

C: No vegetation, no liquid water, and we didn't see Earth ‹ far too concerned with watching our step and making sure we got the samples.

M: What did the sky look like from the surface?

C: There's only a thin atmosphere on Mars, so you see a thin veil of the outer atmosphere from the surface, like a slight glowing red sky, but then blackness out into space. Again, like so much we see on TV. Very bizarre, but I felt like I'd been there before, although I hadn't. Just familiarity.

M: Ok, now what did you do specifically?

C: We had a miniature bore hole machine that allowed us to drill into the core and collect samples down to a depth three meters. These were stored in the lander under strict guidelines and kept in tubes so they wouldn't be contaminated on the journey back. These were jettisoned in a separate module into Earth's atmosphere when we returned and were tracked by Mission Control. We returned separately.

M: Very interesting! Thank you for those details. I appreciate this info on how you did your work. I can't even imagine what being on a planet that far from Earth would be like. How were you sure you could get back? I know you trained, but still, you were VERY FAR AWAY!

C: Yes, very scary knowing how far away from Earth you are, but like I said before, a combination of instinct, adrenalin, and the thought of all that money takes over and keeps you going until you get the mission completed and are on the way home. Hence, why when on Mars you don't tend to stargaze ‹ you just get on with the job and get out of there. You trust your crew, your machine, and Mission Control. Nothing else matters. Like in NASCAR, you have a team you completely trust, and all else is irrelevant. Maybe adrenalin kicks in, but also so does the desire to survive, so any unnecessary risks are not tolerated on a mission of our type. Maybe on others, but not ours. Ask anyone who's been in space and they'll say the same thing. There's no room for error and no second chances. No one I know would take those kinds of risks, and the CIA has the same mentality.

Do you know what the worst thing is about all of this is? Apart from you and one other contact of mine who is also an agent, I can't talk to anyone about it. So here I am with this momentous achievement and no one can know! Whoever is listening might be part of the team and who may undoubtedly be trying to catch me before I talk, although that's too late now. When we were training, we were told we couldn't talk to anyone about this. Not family, not friends, no one, and now I know why. Stupidly, I told my family that I was part of the space station program and got transferred to Europe. That was a mistake, and a major lessoned learned about the lure of a big pay check!

M: I understand ‹ however, I wouldn't personally consider that a "mistake"! Because of this story, you're giving the public one more piece of the puzzle about what really goes on in the space program and what is being kept from us.

C: One thing about the surface on Mars: it felt unstable. There were minor earthquakes [marsquakes - more info: http://www.space.com/418-marsquakes-red-planet-rumble.html] when we were there. Maybe that could explain what happened to the other missions? Of course, it could be a build up to something more major, but we were only in a very small part of the planet, so who knows? And with past volcanic activity in evidence, this may lead to problems in future mining missions. If these earthquakes are at the start of a cycle, then the issue could become very problematic. Of course, there's no back up atmosphere for anyone to escape to in an emergency, so that could be very dangerous. As I now know, these guys aren't that bothered about personal well being, but more about what this planet may reap in terms of profits.

The other thing about Mars that is valuable from a scientific perspective is the climate. For example, if water is present, could there be any clues to be found about our climate in future decades? Although distance from the sun is a factor, there are still plenty of things we can learn. We saw no ET's, though. This should hopefully make people realize most of what they are told about Mars is fake or simply untrue. The samples we brought back could be worth billions and billions, so a few fake aliens are a brilliant diversion.

M: What, specifically, are you saying is untrue about Mars that you've heard? I've heard quite a bit from other whistleblowers online, but nothing specifically about Martian aliens. I've heard about a base there, and I've heard of the jump room. I've also heard of other people claiming to have been there.

C: I don't believe the jump room stuff is credible at all. I know we have more advanced tech in the military than is known, but that just doesn't ring true with me, happily.

NASA also rubbished alien stories about Mars, as well. They were keen to stress the planet was lifeless. Whether they knew about the financial potential of the planet, though, is a different question and, of course, if what we know gets out into the public domain, a manned mission (which was seen as political suicide in case of failure) now becomes a race to reap benefit. It will be interesting to see what official reaction, if any, will come of this. Mars must be a multi-multi-billion-dollar planet, completely untouched and unclaimed.

Why do you think they never went back to the moon? There's no value in it. If the moon was full of precious metals, etc., we would have been back many times. It's just not worth it. Also, as a side issue, the long-term implications of mining it were unknown and could have proven disastrous to earth. Of course, we don't know the implications for mining Mars on a mass scale, but we will find out in the coming decades as governments eventually catch up and find out what huge potential it has in terms of its riches.

M: Hm, yes, quite possible! Ok, you said, "the long-term implications of mining it were unknown and could have proven disastrous to earth." Can you explain how that might be?

C: There's virtually no atmosphere. Any by-products in gas form could escape into space. What implications will happen as a consequence? Also, the mass of the planet will decrease. Will that have implications for the orbit Mars travels? The moon's, as well? We don't know enough about the relationship between Mars and Earth. To start mining it for all it's worth is dangerous as far as I'm concerned because we've still got a lot to learn before we dive in and start. Newton's third law of physics [thermodynamics] says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. And don't worry, I'll be fine ‹ finally blowing the lid on this will help protect me. They haven't found me yet!

M: How long do you think you need to stay on the run? Do you have any evidence that these guys are after you? (I know it's probably a good assumption based on what you told me so far.)

C: I have a good idea of who is after me. There are only a handful of people on the planet who could pull this off without being questioned and found out. This much ability requires a lot of power and the ability to corrupt at the highest level. I will be on the run for a while. I reckon there will be fake contacts made with me to try to meet, but in Europe, it's easy to disappear into the background. No real borders and plenty of contacts there should I need them; although, one of them is about the only one I could trust at the moment. Don't forget there will also be a bounty on my head, and every low-life with a gun will be interested. But those interested in finding me again offer no value or loyalty to those who help them. You only have to look at my situation.

M: Ok, fair enough. How is your radiation sickness going?

C: Sickness is ok, controlled by medication, and luckily it's only mild. I'm sure the suits we used were created to absorb radiation in small amounts so they could test us for tolerance and duration on the planet's surface. Don't forget the data we brought back was costing billions, so all aspects of the mission had to contribute to an overall picture that they could use to deliver a report about the viability of future missions. We were probably signing a death note when we signed up; hindsight is a wonderful gift!

M: Very true! And did you bring anything at all back from Mars for yourself? Like a souvenir rock or something?

C: No souvenirs. We were searched and made to pass solids in order to detect anything. Very strict about that.

M: And you saw no plant life or water at all?

C: No plant life or water. I know so many people talk about this, but we saw nothing like that. Not to say it doesn't exist, but nothing we saw proved it. Of course, we were only there for a limited time, and we were only outside for short periods due to temperature and radiation.

M: I appreciate that you're honest about not finding plant life while still acknowledging that it could be elsewhere on the planet and you just didn't see them. Where exactly on the Martian surface did you land?

C: Check out Viking lander site as we were near there. The data returned previously dictated that was the best site.

M: If you had it to do over again, would you go? Was it worth it to you?

C: It was worth it to experience it. Would I again? Space travel like that is a younger man's game. The physical strain when you hit your late thirties means that it takes a while to recover. But you know what? Now they know about the potential fuel reserves on Mars, they can hit the gas a bit harder, I reckon, and maybe reduce journey time. We saw only a tiny fraction of the surface, but the conditions would mean that anything capable of surviving there wouldn't be plant life or life as we know it. God, I sound like Spock! If there IS any life, I would suggest it would be subterranean, as there is protection. I would imagine given the planet's geological history, there are many caves there, but we didn't see any. There are riots about fuel costs, so what Mars may bring is stability. But it will take many years to realize this, and I reckon NASA will play catch up and assert its authority. Politically, space travel became defunct in the 80's in real terms, but if a route to profit can be found, then watch the next big space race, but this time with more competitors.

M: Thank you very much for your story, Chad! I appreciate you taking the time to tell us this story. I hope you can eventually find safety, and that your family knows you're well.


And there you have it! This was the end of our discussion about the Mars mission, but I have remained in touch with Chad. At this point, I hope to be able to convince him to do a video or TV interview, but of course, there will be more than a few obstacles to overcome, the main one being that he may currently be in some danger if he goes public. Furthermore, there is always the barrier of peoples' understandable skepticism. As I said in the beginning, I cannot verify this story for anyone, nor is my intent to convince anyone of its veracity. My goal is only to help him get his story heard, because if this story IS true, the people of this planet are being lied to on a grand scale, and perhaps this will eventually help the UFO Disclosure Movement. It's time for the lies to be uncovered, and time for the truth -- whatever that may be -- to be known once and for all.