May 12, 1996: Roswell Crash Debris - Linda Moulton Howe
The Art Bell Archive · Arthur William Bell III
June 19, 202315m 20s
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Show Notes
Linda Moulton Howe returns to present the first laboratory results from mysterious metal fragments sent anonymously to Art Bell, allegedly recovered from the 1947 Roswell crash. A credentialed university scientist has examined ten pieces using a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy, revealing that every sample tested greater than 99% pure aluminum with no detectable secondary elements.
The findings raise immediate questions. Five perfectly machined squares measure exactly six millimeters on each side, yet each weighs 160 milligrams instead of the expected 97 milligrams for pure aluminum at that size. This weight discrepancy suggests something denser may be hidden beneath an aluminum coating. Linda reports that when one square was cut open, the interior appeared to be nothing but shiny aluminum, deepening the puzzle. Retired Sandia Labs metallurgists weigh in, suggesting the pieces may have an aluminum shell concealing a different internal metal.
The episode captures a genuine scientific mystery unfolding in real time, with Linda carefully distinguishing between what the data shows and what remains unknown. Further testing with a metallurgist is scheduled, leaving the question of origin, whether terrestrial scrap or something far stranger, tantalizingly unresolved.
The findings raise immediate questions. Five perfectly machined squares measure exactly six millimeters on each side, yet each weighs 160 milligrams instead of the expected 97 milligrams for pure aluminum at that size. This weight discrepancy suggests something denser may be hidden beneath an aluminum coating. Linda reports that when one square was cut open, the interior appeared to be nothing but shiny aluminum, deepening the puzzle. Retired Sandia Labs metallurgists weigh in, suggesting the pieces may have an aluminum shell concealing a different internal metal.
The episode captures a genuine scientific mystery unfolding in real time, with Linda carefully distinguishing between what the data shows and what remains unknown. Further testing with a metallurgist is scheduled, leaving the question of origin, whether terrestrial scrap or something far stranger, tantalizingly unresolved.