Charles B. Moore
Encyclopedia
Charles B. Moore, Jr. was an American
physicist
, engineer
and meteorologist, known for his work with gas balloon
s. He was born in Maryville, Tennessee
.
He was a former participant in Project Mogul
in the late 1940s, where his work in materials science
allowed the construction of balloons which could better withstand cold temperatures, thereby allowing them to safely rise to significantly greater altitudes.
In the 1980s and 1990s, he also became known as a debunker
of the so-called 1947 Roswell UFO incident
, instead stating it was the crash of an undocumented Mogul balloon flight. In the process, he was accused of hoaxing a trajectory calculation of the alleged Mogul balloon flight in order to demonstrate that it could have been the crash object. This calculation was presented in the Roswell book he co-wrote in 1997 (see below).
Ironically, Moore had a rather famous UFO sighting of his own in 1949, as did other Project Mogul personnel, which often occurred during Mogul and later Skyhook balloon
flights. Astronomer and UFO debunker Dr. Donald Menzel later tried to debunk the sighting as a mirage
of their own balloon.
Responding to this in 1986, Moore wrote in a letter, "What I saw was not a mirage; it was a craft with highly unusual performance. It was not a balloon; at the time we were the innovators and manufacturers of the new balloons and I certainly would have known about any new developments as I was newly in charge of General Mills Balloon operations. It was not the X-1 that was in its hangar at Muroc that Sunday. It was nothing from White Sands nor from Alamogordo. ...We were in contact with Range Control and were informed our operation was the only one active on Sunday. For these reasons I am cynical about Dr. Menzel and his approach to science."
According to astronomer Dr. J. Allen Hynek
, a consultant to the Air Force on its UFO investigations, Moore likewise told him he was "disgusted" with the Air Force for its lack of attention to the sighting.
Moore was also known for his 1959 expedition to the stratosphere
with Malcolm Ross
, in which they performed the first spectrographic analysis of the planet Venus
which was free of interference from the Earth's atmosphere, thereby proving the existence of water
on that planet; this expedition involved an ascent to 89,000 feet (then a record for altitude).
He taught at New Mexico Tech for several years, and nominally retired in 1985; however, he continued his research afterward, and his subsequent discoveries led to the first improvement in the design of the lightning rod
since that device's invention by Benjamin Franklin
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and meteorologist, known for his work with gas balloon
Gas balloon
A gas balloon is any balloon that stays aloft due to being filled with a gas less dense than air or lighter than air . A gas balloon may also be called a Charlière for its inventor, the Frenchman Jacques Charles. Today, familiar gas balloons include large blimps and small rubber party balloons...
s. He was born in Maryville, Tennessee
Maryville, Tennessee
Maryville is the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. The city is located south of Knoxville. Maryville's population was 27,258 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. Maryville has received a number of accolades for its...
.
He was a former participant in Project Mogul
Project Mogul
Project Mogul was a top secret project by the US Army Air Forces involving microphones flown on high altitude balloons, whose primary purpose was long-distance detection of sound waves generated by Soviet atomic bomb tests. The project was carried out from 1947 until early 1949...
in the late 1940s, where his work in materials science
Materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
allowed the construction of balloons which could better withstand cold temperatures, thereby allowing them to safely rise to significantly greater altitudes.
In the 1980s and 1990s, he also became known as a debunker
Debunker
A debunker is an individual who attempts to discredit and contradict claims as being false, exaggerated or pretentious. The term is closely associated with skeptical investigation of, or in some cases irrational resistance to, controversial topics such as U.F.O.s, claimed paranormal phenomena,...
of the so-called 1947 Roswell UFO incident
Roswell UFO incident
The Roswell UFO Incident was the recovery of an object that crashed in the general vicinity of Roswell, New Mexico, in June or July 1947, allegedly an extra-terrestrial spacecraft and its alien occupants. Since the late 1970s the incident has been the subject of intense controversy and of...
, instead stating it was the crash of an undocumented Mogul balloon flight. In the process, he was accused of hoaxing a trajectory calculation of the alleged Mogul balloon flight in order to demonstrate that it could have been the crash object. This calculation was presented in the Roswell book he co-wrote in 1997 (see below).
Ironically, Moore had a rather famous UFO sighting of his own in 1949, as did other Project Mogul personnel, which often occurred during Mogul and later Skyhook balloon
Skyhook balloon
Skyhook balloons were balloons developed by Otto C. Winzen and General Mills, Inc., and used by the United States Navy Office of Naval Research in the late 1940s and in the 1950s for atmospheric research, especially for constant-level meteorological observations at very high altitudes...
flights. Astronomer and UFO debunker Dr. Donald Menzel later tried to debunk the sighting as a mirage
Mirage
A mirage is a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays are bent to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French mirage, from the Latin mirare, meaning "to look at, to wonder at"...
of their own balloon.
Responding to this in 1986, Moore wrote in a letter, "What I saw was not a mirage; it was a craft with highly unusual performance. It was not a balloon; at the time we were the innovators and manufacturers of the new balloons and I certainly would have known about any new developments as I was newly in charge of General Mills Balloon operations. It was not the X-1 that was in its hangar at Muroc that Sunday. It was nothing from White Sands nor from Alamogordo. ...We were in contact with Range Control and were informed our operation was the only one active on Sunday. For these reasons I am cynical about Dr. Menzel and his approach to science."
According to astronomer Dr. J. Allen Hynek
J. Allen Hynek
Dr. Josef Allen Hynek was a United States astronomer, professor, and ufologist. He is perhaps best remembered for his UFO research. Hynek acted as scientific adviser to UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force under three consecutive names: Project Sign , Project Grudge , and Project Blue Book...
, a consultant to the Air Force on its UFO investigations, Moore likewise told him he was "disgusted" with the Air Force for its lack of attention to the sighting.
Moore was also known for his 1959 expedition to the stratosphere
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
with Malcolm Ross
Malcolm Ross (balloonist)
Malcolm D. Ross was a Captain in the United States Naval Reserve , an atmospheric scientist, and a balloonist who set several records for altitude and scientific inquiry, with more than 100 hours flight time in gas balloons by 1961. Along with Lieutenant Commander Victor A...
, in which they performed the first spectrographic analysis of the planet Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
which was free of interference from the Earth's atmosphere, thereby proving the existence of water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
on that planet; this expedition involved an ascent to 89,000 feet (then a record for altitude).
He taught at New Mexico Tech for several years, and nominally retired in 1985; however, he continued his research afterward, and his subsequent discoveries led to the first improvement in the design of the lightning rod
Lightning rod
A lightning rod or lightning conductor is a metal rod or conductor mounted on top of a building and electrically connected to the ground through a wire, to protect the building in the event of lightning...
since that device's invention by Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
.
Books
- UFO Crash at Roswell: The Genesis of a Modern Myth, by Benson Saler, Charles A. Zeigler, and Charles B. Moore, Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
Press, 1997, ISBN 1-56098-751-0.