On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 12:33 PM, Edmund Storms <[email protected]>wrote:
If NASA fails, this will be a black mark. Failure is not treated the same > way in LENR as it is in normal science. Beside, anyone who has studied the > theory must wonder about the competence at NASA. > Honestly, if LENR gets off the ground and gains mainstream acceptance, I see the possibility of it helping to influence the culture of physics in a new, more tolerant direction. Who knows. The current mode of intolerance and haughtiness is not flattering for physics. I think it is ironic in this light that the field can also go in the other direction, towards any number of possibly unfalsifiable avenues of investigation in string theory and multiple universes and so on. Perhaps it is just because these areas of investigation cannot easily be falsified that some physicists are able to carve out a respectable niche there. Most physicists will wonder about the competence at NASA if they pursue any LENR theory. It is only a subset of LENR people that wonder about the competence of NASA's pursuing W-L. I think NASA should have the latitude to keep on staff a few people who entertain oddball ideas; such people can still end up coming up with interesting and useful innovations. Eric
