From: pmk@prometheus.UUCP (Paul M. Koloc)
Newsgroups: sci.physics.fusion,sci.meteorology
Subject: Re: Ball lightning - -  B-52 encounter
Date: 15 Sep 92 13:26:26 GMT
Reply-To: pmk@prometheus.UUCP (Paul M. Koloc)
Organization: Prometheus II, Ltd.

In article <56vn8fj.tomk@netcom.com> tomk@netcom.com (Thomas H. Kunich) writes:
>In article <1992Sep11.201832.10453@prometheus.UUCP> pmk@prometheus.UUCP (Paul M. Koloc) writes:
>>
>>> .   .          .   . .   Occasionally the balls move against the
>>>direction of the prevailing winds  .. .
>>
>>Usually not.  However when they are coupled magnetically to nearby
>>iron (ferrite in the soil), current in conductors or repelled by 
>>generating image currents in nearby conducting sheets, they can move
>>adversely to air currents.  .. .


>Around 1965 I was present at the debriefing of a B-52 crew
>who realted the following story:

>While flying at normal cruising altitude (I forget what that is,
>but it's pretty high) and at cruising speed (again I forget but would
>estimate above 400 knots) a ball lightning passed the aircraft off
>the starboard side. It then slowed up and the aircraft repassed
>the BL. Shortly thereafter the BL passed the aircraft on the port
>side. It then slowed up and the aircraft repassed it again. After
>that it repassed the aircraft on the starboard side again, pulled in front
>of the aircraft and slowed abruptly. As the aircraft approached the 
>air currents carried the BL below the nose of the aircraft where it struck
>and exploded with a loud bang and flash.

This is an interesting observation and if accurately relayed to 
you, it could be explained (educated speculation) as follows:  

The B52 likely cut through the vertical charge separation in a 
thunderhead which generated a lightning stroke intercepted the 
plane or at least tracked through the one of the planes eddy air 
vortices, guiding the stroke channel into a heliform path.  This 
can under special other conditions known to lightning strokes, 
Thor and a few of us produce a Ball Lightning.  It was likely 
formed very close to the wing and mid fuselage of the aircraft 
when it formed so that it also generated tied flux lines into the 
aircraft.  Since the PLASMAK(tm) magnetoplasma (PMK) topology 
is streamlined and its physical embodiment has a very low viscosity 
air interface surface, the the line tying forces are adequate to 
tow the PMK. Furthemore, the image currents in the metal skin of 
the aircraft will prevent the BL from colliding with the plane so 
that it "flew intelligently " as described.  The passing and 
exchange between aircraft and plasmoid are likely similar to the 
same "whipping" action often undertaken by two or more ice skaters 
-- also moving along with at very low drag. 
 
On the one unique occasion when the "BL magnet" passed the aircraft 
it probably picked up the unshielded iron within the plastic radome 
at the front of the ship and disintegrated catastrophically on 
impact with that plastic wind shield.  Incidentally it didn't "see" 
it (no repelling image currents from the non-conducting plastic)
or it would have avoided it.    :-)

>I inspected the nose of the B-52 and  there was a mark on the nose
>radome of the B-52. It was shaped almost exactly like the comic book
>version of a lightning bolt and must have been about 3-4 feet  long
>(working from memory again). It was almost exactly down the center 
>of the aircraft axis. It started a foot or so from the front-most
>section of the radome and was situated along the longitudinal axis
>of the aircraft.

>I would have suspected one of the many jokes the crews would play except
>for one thing: the mark was _inside_ of the fiberglass layup. There
>was _no_ exterior hole. The fiberglass radome was white but the outer
>layers were translucent and you could see the shape inside between the
>layers. There was no mark visable on the interior of the radome.
>However, the inside layers were opaque.

Note the damage location is interesting.  Apparently the radome had
two layers of plastic, the outer one which was transparent and an
inner one that was not.  The speculation here is that they may
not have been sealed together so that moisture may have condensed
between the two surfaces or some type of mildly conducting dust
may have collected there.

When a BL disrupts, it essentially gives back, on a microsecond/s
timescale, its entire remaining gmagnetic energy supply.  Assuming 
that was half of its initial energy , this could produce an L di/dt 
voltage pulse from two to five megavolts or higher.  Since it is 
inductive, it easily could have produced a discharge in the slightly 
more conducting translucent/ transparent plastic sheets interface.  

>The shape was slightly fuzzy and was dark gray or black. Since the
>shape was inside a white translucent layup it was difficult to tell
>much about it. But it was there, and the BL moved faster than the 
>B-52 at high altitude and it passed inside the insulating radome 
>without leaving a hole of any kind that was noticeable.

Again, it was the local disintegration generated inductive EMF 
that penetrated the plastic shell and generated the damage not 
the plasma matter of the PMK.  

IMPORTANT:  ANY encounter with BL, where it disintegrates with a
bang by impact or penetration by some other material object could
be valuable.  Please check said object for radioactivity that can
be induced by the high gamma (from 5-30) relativistic electron 
currents. Electrons of this energy are capable of penetration and
capture by nucleii or knocking off of neutrons and therefore can
transmute matter.  The moderate to heavier matter should usually 
be radioactive for a period of time.  IF IT IS NOT, then the
theory may have problems.  In other words unless your wearing
your lead suit, don't blast one with a shotgun firing lead shot
---  frozen hydrogen (protium) pellets .. . maybe.  

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