Re: Attracting Lightning

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "kayaker by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <kayaker-at-sbcglobal-dot-net>

Hello All;

NASA still uses the method in Florida. Be safe.

Doug


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 10:45 AM
Subject: Re: Attracting Lightning


 > Original poster: "Ed Phillips by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>
 >
 > Tesla list wrote:
 >  >
 >  > Original poster: "Goku Goku by way of Terry Fritz
<teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>"
 > <goku1415-at-hotmail-dot-com>
 >  >
 >  > Hi,
 >  >
 >  > I was wondering if anyone knew of Tesla's thoughts regarding the use of
 >  > natural lightning. Is it possible to "attract" a bolt of lightning to a
 >  > desired point?
 >  >
 >  > Leon
 >
 > Yes.  During the early 1940's lightning researchers at Westinghouse
 > used rocket-launched wires to "attract" lightning strikes in order to
 > measure details of the discharge currents.  One of my professors at
 > Caltech was part of this group and reported an amusing (at least to
 > some) incident when one of the rockets went off more or less
 > horizontally and the attached wires shorted out a bit interstate power
 > line.
 >
 > More recently there have been reports of using laser-ionization trails
 > in air for a similar purpose.  Although I've seen mention of this in the
 > popular press (Scientific American) I've never read a peer-reviewed
 > paper verifying this so it may just be anecdotal.
 >
 > Ed
 >