Tag: Martin Fleischmann

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Martin Fleischmann leaves brilliant legacy of courage in pursuit of truth

“Martin was probably the greatest scientist that I have ever known… I believe that eventually truth will win out. I don’t know how long it might take, but eventually Martin will be honored by many for his great scientific work in the cold fusion field.” —Dr. Melvin Miles

“The world is slowly, but inexorably, moving toward a better place because of Martin Fleischmann’s transit through it.” —Dr. Mitchell Swartz

“He was chosen to pay the price for success. Now he has peace and the rest of us have the responsibility not to let his sacrifice be in vain.” —Dr. Edmund Storms

“Martin Flesichmann was one of the greatest scientists that ever lived.” —Dr. George H. Miley

Martin Fleischmann has left the planet, on his way to better beyonds where knowledge is total and awareness a mere triviality in a larger existence.

New Energy Times has reported here that he passed away in his home in the United Kingdom Friday, August 3, 2012 with his family in attendance.

Born March 29, 1927, Dr. Martin Fleischmann was lauded as one of the greatest electrochemists that ever lived. Co-discoverer of cold fusion with his partner Stanley Pons, the pair embarked on an epic scientific journey that adds their names to the list of greatest scientific figures in history.

Enduring decades of ostrasization from their conventionally-thinking peers, both Drs. Fleischmann and Pons have been vindicated for their claims as cold fusion, also called lattice-assisted nuclear reactions (LANR), and low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR), has been reproduced hundreds of times by multiple types of systems.

Cold fusion offers a viable alternative to the continued use of dirty fossil fuels and nuclear power that uses radioactive materials leaving waste so dangerous, it threatens biological systems worldwide. Cold fusion presented an ultra-clean energy-dense source of power using as fuel hydrogen from water. The development of both the science and technology of cold fusion was almost extinguished by a coordinated effort from hot fusioneers and conventional energy physicists in 1989 who sought to discredit their results, and succeeded in delaying the development of clean energy technology for two decades.

It has been a small group of intrepid researchers from around the globe that have continued the work, bolstering the data with over-two decades of experimental confirmation that cannot be refuted. Commercial development of cold fusion technology in the form of hot water heaters and steam generators is currently ongoing by a new generation of scientists that were inspired by initial announcements of Drs. Fleischmann and Pons.

Andrea Rossi, inventor of the Energy Catalyzer, has said in an interview with James Martinez that ‘it was the announcement of their discovery in 1989 that was the “spark that ignited the fire”’. [read]

In an interview with Ruby Carat, hot- and cold-fusion pioneer Dr. George H. Miley remarked that “Martin Flesichmann was one of the greatest scientists that ever lived.”

Referring to the wild emotional backlash from physicists who felt their research threatened by the discovery, Dr. Miley said, “Any personal ramifications of individuals is so unfortunate. But you know that’s happened to many people in the field. The field has had a series of tragic events occur where workers in it have been maligned. Emotions grew so high. It should have been done in a scientific fashion, it would’ve been so much better. But I have nothing but the highest respect for Pons and Fleischmann, such great scientists, anyone would be privileged to follow their lead in science.” [read]

Cold fusion researcher and author Dr. Edmund Storms responded to the news of Martin Fleischmann’s passing with, “I was not part of his major field of interest, so my role in the LENR field was not important to him. Nevertheless, I’m sad that he paid such a high and unreasonable price and is now gone. His efforts to make the CF effect work could just as well have been as unsuccessful as experienced by most attempts at replication. But he was chosen to pay the price for success. Now he has peace and the rest of us have the responsibility not to let his sacrifice be in vain.”

He was further quoted here:
“Martin demonstrated that Nature has a diabolical plan. He and Stan were
not the first to cause the LENR process but they were the first to attract
attention. For that, they paid the price Nature always extracts when a
great discovery is made. They attempted the “impossible” based on a flawed
model, using lucky material that most people could not duplicate, and
stirred up a firestorm of antagonism from people who were their colleagues
and friends. They were rejected for reasons both ignorant and self-serving
by people who we all thought should know better. Sadly, Martin did not
live long enough to say he told them so, and have the last laugh.
Hopefully, the rest of us can complete the process and gain acceptance for
what he and Stan paid such a dear price to make known. We will all miss
the man who led us into this crazy field.” —Edmund Storms

Scientist and designer of the NANOR device currently on public display at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Mitchell Swartz of JET Energy has written:
“The world is slowly, but inexorably, moving toward a better place because of Martin Fleischmann’s transit through it.

He was involved in two of the most important things in life: learning and teaching. He taught at King’s College, Durham University (later, University of Newcastle upon Tyne) and University of Southampton. He discovered and taught surface enhanced Raman scattering effect and the achievement of high energy Cold Fusion in a palladium lattice

Martin and his two partners were the first to achieve the purposeful attainment of cold fusion (fusion of deuterons to helium 4) using applied electric fields and a lattice in salty heavy-water.

As the cat whisker junction is to the Internet, Dr. Martin Fleischmann’s contribution in cold fusion will be to space travel, fully powered artificial internal organs, and much more.” —Mitchell Swartz

In a recent interview with Ruby Carat, former-Navy researcher and Professor of Chemistry Dr. Melvin Miles remarked that the data analysis Martin Fleischmann did on their collaborations that confirmed his own calculations was like none other in the world in it’s detailed meticulousness. “Only Martin could have done an analysis like this”, he said, calling him “one of the greatest scientists ever”. [read]

Dr. Miles responded to the news today re-iterating his assessment:
I have had many communications from Martin starting in about 1994 and have these here at home. Martin was probably the greatest scientist that I have ever known. I hope that this will someday be recognized by many others. I have spent many hours, days, and weeks studying his calorimetric equations and methods. He was far ahead of any other group in his calorimetric designs, modeling, and data analysis. This will be the topic of one of my ICCF-17 presentations and what led to my recent question for him. One of the main inspirations for me to continue with the difficult cold fusion research and calorimetry was my recognition of Martin Fleischmann’s brilliance that shown so far brighter than that for any Caltech, MIT, or Harwell scientist who worked with calorimetry.

Martin Fleischmann visited me here in California in October of 2000, and we took him to see again his favorite spot in Yosemite National Park. It was always a pleasure to spend time with Martin and to learn from him. I will greatly miss him. I believe that eventually truth will win out. I don’t know how long it might take, but eventually Martin will be honored by many for his great scientific work in the cold fusion field. —Melvin Miles

The courage and character of Martin Fleischmann, along with his pal Stanley Pons, and including Eugene Mallove and all the scientists who continued their bold and honest inquiry into the workings of nature for the benefit of humankind, are the inspiration for Cold Fusion Now, and remain the heart of our existence.

With respect to his family, the cold fusion/LANR/LENR community, and all peoples of the globe who long for freedom, we dedicate ourselves to the same tenacious quest for the clean energy to power a green and peaceful human future.

Martin Fleischmann will emerge again when the new documentary by 137 Films called “The Believers” is finally released later this year. Until then, here is Martin Fleischmann speaking in 1999 at the American Chemical Society meeting on the 10-year anniversary of the announcement of cold fusion. He is introduced by Dr. Melvin Miles, a long-time researcher who collaborated with Dr. Fleischmann on many investigations.

Thank you to the New Energy Foundation for archiving this historical sequence.

With Love and Peace to You Martin. Thank You.

More wishes from around the world:
The Deep Reach of Martin Fleischmann

Related Links

New Energy Times posted this obituary here.

Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons in their own words by Ruby Carat March 23, 2012

Thank you Martin Fleischmann; Thank you Stanley Pons by Ruby Carat March 23, 2011

1994 BBC doc Too Close to the Sun profiles early history of cold fusion underground by Ruby Carat June 7, 2012

The Telegraph on Martin Fleischmann August 9, 2012

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1994 Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons interviewed on Good Morning America – from France!

The May 31, 1994 “Good Morning America” program included an exclusive interview with Dr. Martin Fleischmann and Dr. Stanley Pons, from their lab in France. The pair left the United States due to a targeted assault from the American science community that left them unable to continue their work on a revolutionary new fusion-sized energy generated tiny test-tube.

“The whole system is guided against innovative science. It is only guided to making a better product, not to look at new things, and you are damned for looking at new things”, says Stanley Pons.

“The public in America, in the system, has to devise a more effective way to do innovative science and technology”, added Martin Fleischmann. “If it doesn’t do that, then America will really slide down the scale.”

Science editor Michael Guillen presented a positive spin on the status of cold fusion, including interviews with Dr. Eugene Mallove and Dr. Eichii Yamaguchi.

Guillen did repeat the oft-quoted failure of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) cold fusion experiment designed to reproduce the Fleischmann-Pons Effect of excess heat. A subsequent analysis by Mitchell Swartz showed that the published data was “shifted down” from the original, casting doubt on the lab’s negative conclusion and revealing the strong possibility that MIT did in fact measure excess heat.

How will mainstream science, which holds a powerful sway in academia and government, respond when the first products are available to the public? How will we transition when we’re twenty years behind? Two heroes for tomorrow’s children convey a message from the past, about innovation and the future, that we can act upon today.

“It has the potential of really revolutionizing things”, says Guillen. “I think these folks just need a fair hearing and the two or three years they were given in this country is not hearing enough.”

Cold Fusion Now!

Thanks to the New Energy Foundation for posting this historic video.

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Too Close To The Sun: 1994 BBC doc profiles early history of “cold fusion underground”

“If it had been anything else, we would have said, ‘Oh, people don’t want us to do it, forget it, just leave it alone.’ But this is not in that category. This is interesting science, new science.

If you’ve got any integrity, you don’t give it up.” — Martin Fleischmann

Too Close to The Sun from BBC Horizon recounts the story of cold fusion from the initial announcement in 1989 through developments in 1994 when the video was released. Multiple interviews with major players include Eugene Mallove speaking on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s bungling of cold fusion data, misrepresenting the actual creation of excess heat from their test cell by claiming they saw nothing. A later analysis by Mitchell Swartz of JET Energy revealed the blunder, though it was never corrected.

“The cold fusion episode will be looked upon as one of the greatest travesties against justice and understanding that has ever occurred in the history of science,” says Mallove.

Also profiled is Michael McKubre, whose Menlo Park lab SRI reported “up to 500 times excess heat” and Randall Mills then of Thermacore, now of Blacklight Power, “claimed 1000% excess heat” from light-water and nickel cells. At the time, that news prompted another “senior scientist at a national laboratory” to begin work on the phenomenon. In the film, that scientist remains unknown, speaking in the shadows, due to the stigma of this field and the backlash that clean cold fusion research brings.

Professor David Williams describes an early and earnest effort by Harwell Laboratory in Britain which found no effect from the experiments. He revealed his frustration on camera. “At first you assume it’s because you’re not smart enough, or not going long enough, or not doing things quite right, so you try yet more variations, and all the time all these claims are coming in from all sorts of people saying Oh they could do the first time around! You know, you feel like a right bird! Here are all these people saying they switched this cell on and bang, it works…..and we found nothing.”

Caltech commemorates perhaps their biggest scientific failure with this T-shirt.
John Huizenga was Co-Chairman of the Energy Research Advisory Board ERAB that reviewed the evidence for the U.S. Department of Energy and issued a rushed report just months after Drs. Fleischmann and Pons’ announcement that effectively barred cold fusion research from any funding for over two decades, dropping clean energy in favor of expensive hot fusion and dangerous nuclear power plants that use radioactive fuel. The Department of Energy’s current $29 billion dollar budget has $0 for developing this revolutionary science.

The ERAB panel selectively chose what evidence to allow by claiming that anything that didn’t fit their conventional theory of nuclear science was impossible. “We wrote a very negative report and concluded that the results that were being presented to us were contrary to everything we had found out about nuclear physics over the last fifty years”, Huizenga said.

He authored the book Cold Fusion: The Scientific Fiasco of the Century claiming an untruth that defined the misinformation campaign’s motto to this day: “There’s no experimental evidence at this point that any nuclear reaction products have been formed. Therefore the claim that cold fusion is a nuclear reaction process without a commensurate amount of nuclear reaction products is simply pathological science.”

Though he attended several cold fusion conferences, and eventually went to a lab with a working cell at Cal Poly Pomona where Professors Robert Bush and Robert Eagleton were researching the effect, Huizenga refused to look at the data showing excess heat, first claiming he was “retired”. Then, after an invitation to stay a while and examine the cell with all his newly freed time, he hemmed, saying he had some “consulting” work to do.

Selectively ignoring data was rampant among the so-called “objective” science community. John Maddox, editor of science journal Nature had decided one year later that cold fusion was over. “I think it will turn out, after two, three years more investigation, that this is just spurious and just unconnected with anything that you would call nuclear fusion. I think that broadly speaking it is dead and it will remain dead for a very long time.”

Speaking on those early days in the U.S., when members’ vitriol stained the American Physical Society, Stanley Pons recalls, “You forget things in time. I can remember that was extremely bitter at that time. I thought we’d been treated extremely unjustly, which I still do. I think the critics were not operating in the bounds of sanity, and I think we were victimized in that respect. So I was quite bitter at the time and I’ve just chose to ignore it and just go on. I really don’t have any feelings about it anymore; it’s just a non-issue now.

“I think you become numb,” added Martin Fleischmann.

“You become numb to it, yeah.”

Keiji Kunimatsu, a former student of Martin Fleischmann persuaded Minoru Toyota, of the famed Toyoto car corporation, to fund the pair’s research, setting them up in a lab in the south of France near Nice. Toyota had already been learning about what cold fusion was. Kunimatsu had learned from Fleischmann that “Scientists must do something new which nobody has done before. That way is the spirit of science.”

Fleischman said, “It was a relief to get away from the terrible atmosphere in the United States and to have the opportunity to work totally without public attention for a period of time.”

Although reproducibility of this mercurial reaction continues to plague many labs to this day, a handful of researchers have made huge advances; a few to the point of developing a commercial technology. For these few labs, the clean energy of cold fusion is available on-demand: turn it on when you want, turn it off when you want. When the engineering of these devices finally produces a product, the over two decades of smug pontifications of an errant orthodoxy by the conventional scientific community will at last end.

In 1993, twenty Japanese corporations including Toyota, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi, financed the New Hydrogen Energy Laboratory for a five-year program called Icarus. Martin Fleischmann consulted on the new project.

In celebration of the inauguration of this project, he toasted “To Icarus One, and all the other Icarus’s to follow. And don’t forget, our wings are stuck on with superglue.”

Early T-shirt design by Al Kemme and Associates reveals greater truth.

Thank you Martin Fleischmann.
Thank you Stanley Pons.
Thank you Eugene Mallove.

Thanks to you, we will have Cold Fusion Now!

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