To the Stars Academy Files New SEC Documents, Searches for Ways to "Mine Information" to "Monetize"

4/7/2020

At the end of March, To the Stars Academy of Arts and Science submitted its latest set of documents to the Security and Exchange Commission. They contained some interesting data points about the company’s ongoing obsession with so-called metamaterials and their efforts to scour the world for supposed UFO wreckage that they think they can reverse engineer into technological breakthroughs. Oh, and they are also trying to sell up to $30 million in stock to raise more money. The six million shares will carry a $5 offering price.

According to the SEC filing, the company is very proud of the Art’s Parts collection of industrial waste that Tom DeLonge purchased from Linda Moulton Howe and then sold to TTSA for $35,000. These pieces of slag had previously been tested and determined to be earthly materials, likely industrial waste. Early tests found no unusual properties or powers unexplainable by normal physics. TTSA, following the lead of its executive and longtime investigator of Art’s Parts Hal Puthoff, thinks that the metal fragments were intentionally manufactured to create near-supernatural technological wonders.

In July 2019, the company acquired metamaterial assets to accelerate its material science program for the ADAM research project. The exotic materials that were purchased have a structure and composite unknown to any existing commercial or military application and through its scientific study, the Science and Technology Division will look to substantiate possible attributes and transition them to technology capabilities.

TTSA has also begun hunting for more Art’s Parts-style samples. Late last year, Luis Elizondo was in South America to collect UFO wreckage, and now we read that the company plans “to expand the scope of our efforts to collect and analyze materials under the A.D.A.M. Research project that could lead to discoveries and commercial applications.”

They also plan to develop an “energy beam” that will “significantly decrease the cost and environmental impact of orbit launches” and also a “warp drive.” As of now, they have no energy beam and no warp drive, or anything one might reasonably describe as a precursor to such science-fiction technologies.

But perhaps the more important part of the SEC filing described how the company will be using its “science” for its most important project, media. “With input from top government officials, academia and scientists, ‘Sekret Machines’ is an example of how existing research can generate expansive media content: a fictional Sci-Fi thriller novel, an academically researched non-fiction series, and a TV script currently in early development.” They plan to use the $30 million to launch a comic book series and an animated movie for kids and teens. That “academically researched” series is the crazy-quilt of conspiratorial nonsense and recycled 1970s ancient astronaut claims known as Gods, Man, and War, written with spleen by Peter Levenda.

Among the company’s goals, they said, are to inspire curiosity, enhance human knowledge, and to “continue to increase our network of influence and intelligence to mine information for compelling stories and products that can be monetized.” Ah, yes, the true advancement of human knowledge.

27 Comments

Jim

4/7/2020 10:40:33 am

In the insane bizarro world we seem to be living in would it surprise anyone if some of these bozos were appointed to positions of authority in the (cue echo chamber effects here) "Space Force" ?

Nick Danger

4/7/2020 03:25:08 pm

Sure. They seem to meet the same qualifications as many other "experts" in the current administration.

Paul

4/7/2020 06:18:45 pm

Would almost appear that these folks are trying to turn the company into a personal ATM. DeLonge wants his $600k loan repaid and the rest will probably sell the stock they are sitting on once there is some money in the till. As for R&D, looks like they are claiming in the neighborhood of $300k for 3 years or so. Quite a paltry amount. They are attempting to pull off a fraud but will likely sell less stock this time around than last, something like 120,000 shares, wasn't it? A paltry payday. Ufo's, cryptids, pseudohistory, paranormal. The roulette wheel turns, where will the public interest fall next? Would be curious what salary Tom's wife is getting.

Kent

4/7/2020 09:12:39 pm

Didn't know Mr. DeLonge's wife was involved.

Did know his sister was.

The company's only obligation according to its founding document, is to pay Tom DeLonge money.

4/7/2020 11:49:18 pm

My bad, just looking at names, made a wrong guess. Still keeping it in the family......

4/8/2020 01:08:33 pm

You're a class act. Could still be right, don't know, haven't researched. Maybe he doesn't have a traditional wife.

Doc Rock

4/7/2020 06:29:24 pm

Ya gotta give that bunch some kudos for being able to pull off a big cash grab with this version of a "research and profit" spiel.

Crash55

4/7/2020 07:55:17 pm

Using an energy beam to launch a spacecraft into orbit is not new. Leik Myrabo came up with the idea of a lightcraft back in 1976. He used a laser as a propulsion mechanism. The record height is 71 m. I remember the program when I was at RPI. One problem I saw was that if the laser was misaligned by even a small amount you could vaporize the craft.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightcraft

4/8/2020 12:00:42 am

That's really cool technology.
You don't happen to know the weight and size of the lightcraft that went to 71 meters do you ?

David Evans

4/8/2020 09:29:20 am

According to wired.com one of his prototypes was 6 inches long and weighed 2 ounces. There's a pleasing video of the tests on Youtube here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAdj6vpYppA

https://www.wired.com/2009/02/beamed-energy-i/

4/8/2020 10:28:37 am

According to the sources cited by Wikipedia- about 5 inches in diameter.

I remember at RPI in the early 90’s, Myrabo was touting craft the size of Apollo. Everyone thought he was a little crazy.

At least one of the launches was on TV special (discovery channel I think)

4/8/2020 12:29:47 pm

I think that video was part of what I saw on TV years ago.

At RPI Myrabo had a version about the size of the an Apollo capsule made but it never went anywhere. At that time (1990ish) there wasn’t the spike out that back and just the laser hitting a shallow cone / rim. Those of us on other projects thought it was silly as if the laser was off you would fry the ship - like what happened to one in the video.

As far as I can tell all research in the area ended when he retired in 2011.

4/8/2020 03:56:43 pm

The laser doesn't propel the projectile, it heats part of the projectile and the projectile is constructed in such a way that the heated air, heated by the projectile as it moves, which means the projectile is pretty hot, is directed downward to produce thrust.

Takeaway: This is a projectile, not a vehicle.

Not scalable.

To paraphrase Maggie Thatcher "Sooner or later you run out of someone else's air."

Rockets я better.

4/8/2020 05:22:56 pm

Kent the tested items were projectiles but the lightcraft idea was for a manned vehicle. Watch the video someone posted or rad any of the journal papers that the Wikipedia page links to. It is clear that Myrabo was going for a manned vehicle and not a projectile.

I was at RPI at the same time as him. I talked with his students. I know what the research goals were.

4/8/2020 10:22:13 pm

Slow your roll there cowboy. What was tested was a projectile.
Saying "the concept was to make a really big bullet and put people inside" doesn't change that.

Good basic research? Yes.
Viable concept? No.
And that's the name of that tune.

4/9/2020 09:45:20 am

Kent are you just dense?

The goal of the Lightcraft project was always to build a vehicle not a projectile. Like most projects they started at sub-scale - i.e. a projectile. That was where the program appears to have stopped. Not sure if that was due to lack of funding or Myrano retiring.

If you read ANY of the literature about Lightcrafts or watch the video it is clear that the project was aimed at a craft to transport people. No one gives you money to test a new propulsion systems at full scale though, you have to start subscale. Since you can’t shrink people guess what a subscale vehicle is - a projectile.

At RPI I was on the sailplane project and our cage was across from Myrabo’s. He had two projects going on: a scaled P-38 (they forgot you can’t scale the pilots) and the Lightcraft. Like all projects there was lots of information posted on the cage to generate interest. Everything was about moving people to orbit.

Laser as a projectile propulsion is of very limited use since it is line of sight. DARPA has used lasers to steer bullets but that is about it.

The Lightcraft technology and what TTSSA is proposing are both vehicle and not projectile technologies.

4/9/2020 03:18:41 pm

Goal, shmoal. I want to have puppies coming out of my poopoo but it's not going to happen.

It's no more scalable than water rockets. As I said the guy was an idiot but basic research is good.

Get high enough and you run out of air, which this technology depends on, and you're back to rockets. At that point the Saturn V looks pretty bitchin'.

4/9/2020 06:23:38 pm

Watch the video linked above. There were ways to used beefed energy as propulsion once out of the atmosphere.

Also remember that as you get less air you will need less thrust as there is less air to cause drag. If truly in zero g and no atmosphere just the impact of the laser would provide thrust.

It is definitely more scale able than a water rocket. The issues will be the size of the laser required and how precise you must target through the atmosphere.

4/9/2020 08:15:40 pm

Wasn't the Saturn V pod or "vehicle" merely a projectile propelled by disposable rockets that detached and were discarded after use ?

The Saturn V manned vehicle had no source of propulsion itself, thus it was a projectile.

4/9/2020 10:04:32 pm

Oh my effing God, could there BE more ign'ance? The Apollo Command module had TEN engines and the Service Module was a rocket by any definition. Look at the big honking nozzle coming out its rear. The LEM also was TWO rockets.

"Also remember that as you get less air you will need less thrust as there is less air to cause drag. If truly in zero g and no atmosphere just the impact of the laser would provide thrust."

I don't think you understand thrust. You run out of air long before you run out of gravity son. You're going to give the thing a little powder pat at best.

"beefed energy"??? Who the heck do you think you're kidding?

What will the laser do when the thing needs to turn left or right? How does it come back?

Idiots.

4/9/2020 11:17:43 pm

Beefed is a typo for beamed.

Like I have said in every post WATCH THE VIDEO. It goes over many of the points you continue to whine about.

As the air thins DRAG decreases. I said nothing about gravity. Yes you still have gravity but the idea would be that you have already achieved escape velocity before you get to the point where the thrust from the exploding the air decreases,

And yes once you achieve zero-g / no atmosphere just the laser impact would provide thrust. That is the basic idea behind light sails, The impact of the photons themselves are enough to generate thrust. Thrust is simply a propulsive force and once in low / zero-g you need very little.

If you WATCHED THE VIDEO, you would have your answers about turning and why I mentioned beamed energy. I keep forgetting that you are incapable of doing more than reading Wikipedia and lack even a basic understanding of physics.

I now remember why this blog needed to be moderated. Moron.

4/9/2020 11:33:52 pm

"Oh my effing God, could there BE more ign'ance? The Apollo Command module had TEN engines and the Service Module was a rocket by any definition."

Chill Kent,
The Apollo Command module had no thrust engines to propel it forward only some small yaw roll and pitch engines for atmospheric reentry, it did not provide the thrust to move any great distance forward.
A steerable projectile one might say.

https://media.springernature.com/original/springer-static/image/chp%3A10.1007%2F978-3-030-02071-2_6/MediaObjects/472715_1_En_6_Fig4_HTML.png

4/10/2020 05:10:37 pm

"yaw roll and pitch engines"

There's no such thing. Imagine "yaw roll and pitch propellers".

4/10/2020 05:58:10 pm

OMG !!! You think they use propellers in space ? WOW.

Kent, do you not understand how to use a link ?

I already gave you a link showing the various components of the Apollo Command module that specifically show RCS roll, pitch and yaw engines and you come back with "There's no such thing."

Here you go AGAIN:

https://media.springernature.com/original/springer-static/image/chp%3A10.1007%2F978-3-030-02071-2_6/MediaObjects/472715_1_En_6_Fig4_HTML.png

Of course you were the one who called them engines in the first place,,,," The Apollo Command module had TEN engines",,, now you say they are not engines ??

The longer you keep this up the more foolish you make yourself look. (If that is even possible.)

4/10/2020 10:11:27 pm

Probably ok for a Christmas gift. Didn’t the thing need to be spinning like 40,000 rpm and be in air? What would happen once it ran out of dense air? Would it be gasping like a fish out of water?

crash55

4/11/2020 11:29:27 am

Paul,

There is a You Tube video that goes over how the craft is supposed to work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAdj6vpYppA

Kent link

4/11/2020 03:27:02 pm

I understand how to use a link, I just have a lot of TV shows to watch.

"Command Module Reaction Control System
The Command Module RCS is nearly identical in function to the Service Module RCS with a few exceptions. Firstly, The SM RCS contains 16 rockets in 4 separate sub-systems. This set up allows for the Command Service Module stack to be controlled in 6 ranges of motion. The CM RCS contains only 12 rockets in two completely redundant sub-systems named system 1 and system 2. These 12 reaction control jets allow the command module to be rotated in pitch, roll, and yaw, but they do not allow for any translational movement. The SM RCS is designed for versatility. The CM RCS has the sole purpose of controlling the Command Module's orientation during Entry and Launch Aborts."

Saying "yaw roll and pitch engines" is like saying "go left or go really fast wheels". Or "liver carrots" or "colon salmon".