Why I Left NASA: A Curiosity of Spirit

I do not care about the content but i do like a good story and the OP is keeping me entertained.

What more can i or anyone else ask for ?

Dont get me wrong a nice twist of the bizzare and a dash of mystery are the reason i read the ATS threads.

But in this case i see nothing wrong with a little build up and suspense.

Who cares what the outcome is ?

Take care.

Regards
Lee



[edit on 30-3-2010 by h3akalee]

"Can someone here point the way to Yoda's cave so I can get the straight scope as to whether a post is fact or fiction before it's completely written, because I seemed to have missed that portion when signed up.

Call me crazy, but I think being able to ascertain whether a story as merit or not belongs to the individual reader and anybody attempting to derail someone's post before completion does so with an egregious personal agenda. Just my opinion"

In response to your post--

My self and others have expressed that they doubt the OP's sincerity. I don't think we have an egregious personal agenda.

Let me explain why some would want to call-out a poster for potential fakery.

Most folks who come to these boards have an interest in uncommon/generally "not respected" topics such as UFO's, various conspiracy theories, cryptozoology, etc. Many of us who enjoy these topics are the subject of ridicule by others. Also, there are people who enjoy toying with us "fringe" types. I, and many others, have been let down by the MANY hoaxers on ATS. We are all seeking truthful, enlightening information. It angers many that some would come to these boards simply to make fun of the subject matter that we are interested in.

Does it serve a purpose to RESPECTFULLY say, and without personal attacks, "I think the O.P. is being dishonest because of reason x,y,z"? I say YES it does serve a purpose. There have been times when readers of a thread have been strung along, and have a lot of emotion invested in the so-called "truth" that a poster is offering. And, by bringing up potential flags of a hoax, the O.P. has admitted to being a hoaxer!

So, the only egregious personal agenda I have in pointing out a potential hoaxer, is that I don't wish others to experience the emotional let-downs I have had in the past.

Is it my business to safeguard anyone from getting their feeling hurt? No, and I can accept that.

But I also don't like the fact that there are those who enjoy spending their free time trying to con others.

There's my 2 cents...

reply to post by mckyle


doesn't bother me. i like david icke, although i disagree with the attacks he's made on people he doesn't know, i do agree with his position on aliens, reptilians and shape shifters. however, someone is posting his material on other forums. are you sure HE posted his material on icke's spot? doesn 't really matter in the long run, to me, just brought that up in case your investigation is following the same trend as your roach killing. hehehehe

'cuse me.

Originally posted by Silicis n Volvo
i dont get the hostility towards mr mask.....

Maybe if he dropped his attitude and stopped talking to people like they're complete idiots, they're wouldn't be soo much hostility towards him.

Originally posted by theflashor

Originally posted by nightmare_david

Originally posted by theflashor
CAN WE CLOSE THIS NOW UNTILL FURTHER BULL# COMES TO THE TABLE!?

Can you stop posting in all caps?

I find people like you hilarious. Whine and moan about the thread as if you can't stand it, yet keep coming back.

Should I even get into how people like you act? Call others stuff like ignorant or immature and yet you all shout in caps like you're 5 years old.

No need to be rude but i have only just read this post about 30 mins ago and its going round in circles, ^^ thats why i wrote the above... Because you can see where this is going cant you. 5 Year old thats just insulting do you want a fight??

I really hope you were being sarcastic in asking if I wanted to fight. One thing I find very pathetic are people who make threats like that from behind the safety of their computers where they can't be touched. I also find it hilarious that you're saying I'm the one being rude when you were the one demanding this thread be closed and called it BS all because you don't like it.

I've not been able to keep up with these posts. My access is limited by the precautions I take. Even if it were not, there are too many posts. I scanned a few pages and composed this offline to address those issues which seemed pertinent.

Let me now attempt and utterly fail to clear up several points.

This site did not allow me to create a thread until I reached 20 posts. My initial attempt to say hello resulted in me being pilloried, told that the introduction thread was not the appropriate place for saying more than hello, and then before I had a chance to read or reply to the explosion of posts the thread was closed. It took me two weeks to find sufficient time to make the 20 posts required for me to create my own thread. I do not comment idly online or off. The time I had to invest in making those 20 posts was time lost from relating my tale of last January. Many have requested that I stop posting here until I have the rest to reveal at once. It seems I might as well comply with this request. People want me to simultaneously read their replies, respond to them, and finish writing of my experience. I cannot do all three. I must satisfy my clients, my wife, be a parent to my child still at home. Perhaps some of you are supreme masters of time management; I readily admit that I am not.

I was accused in the initial introduction thread of not revealing anything. That did not seem the time or place for it. I explained this. I thought this would be a community sympathetic to my journey. Before joining I had seen posts from others in the military/government and they seemed welcome. However, recognizing the frustration people felt on my initial appearance, and not wanting to further inflame people I tried to mitigate this issue by telling people the abstract of my moment of awakening before posting the story itself. This did nothing to placate anyone.

As for my bona fides, I will provide anonymously what I may. But you must admit nothing will be enough. Ask me a question about my badge and when I get the answer correct people will say I'm just an unrelated contractor working as a file clerk somewhere, or a graduate student at Caltech, or a machinist at JPL, or... Every hoop I jump through will lead to another hoop and to another hoop and to another hoop. And only a few will be satisfied. This does not encourage me.

It's the Obama birth certificate paradox. If Obama produced a long form birth certificate once it rose to the level of being an issue almost all of those who already doubted his authenticity would simply shift their attention to insisting it was fraudulent, issued or created with the collusion of those who placed him in power. (Why did it take so long to produce? Why does it have this or that mark on it? Why does the paper on which it's printed contain 2% higher levels of wood pulp than a long form certificate accepted as printed later that same year?) No evidence he could produce now would be sufficient.

You need a protocol for verifying bona fides, one that the community accepts, one that that does not risk another's anonymity, and one that does not risk further legal entanglements should their anonymity fail. Do not make proof security related!

(continued)

Let me make one thing clear, I'm not scanning badges. In this day and age where homeland security can justify detaining people for taking pictures of a dam near some backwater burg, you'll forgive me if I imagine myself unnecessarily exposed should I relay information about security related issues, however ridiculously harmless that information truly is. Should my veil of anonymity fall they could use it as a tangential, sanitized means to prosecute me without allowing me at least a defense based on the actual nature of the information I shared. Call me a liar, call me paranoid, but don't call me stupid. They got Al Capone for tax evasion so they wouldn't have to try him for his real crime, and allow into evidence all the proof of the officials he had been paying off to build his empire.

To those who have said I or Rich can be identified based on information I have shared, I am taking pains to alter some facts to make exacting identification impossible. The suggestion that I have revealed enough to identify me is, I hope, untrue. I could write the story much faster if I did not need to pause to invent camouflage.

I posted another installment on my blog before reading your responses, but I will hold off posting there or here until I can post the remainder at once. I will do my best to do that this weekend.

One last point, as I was about to post this I saw quite a few accuse me of trying to use this as a vehicle to promote my blog. I created the blog because posting in 4000 character chunks is a pain in the ass, because I can't edit my initial post later to add more content or even links to my other posts with more content, and because I can't imagine people can find my subsequent posts which get buried between 8-10 pages of comments. They removed the links to my blog, and that's fine, I didn't realize that would be a problem or violated any policy. I'm not sure how I am imagined to make money from that blog. If I ever publish anything, that would be years away. I can barely find time to read your posts or finish the first story, I'm hardly likely to be on the phone with publishers. Factor in the anonymity I'd lose going public, and I cannot currently imagine it.

John

I have very little to offer to this discussion as I am not nearly as technically proficcient as a NASA Engineer. But Astro seems to not grasp his own tech very well. He offers some explanations for the drives that are innaccurate. Not sure if they were dumbed down for the masses but even so you think he's at least have the definition correct.

You've got a rover that has outlived it's projected span by a long margin. You have dust on the solar panels limiting their effectiveness. My understanding of the rover is that the amount of power these panels generate wouldn't be enough for FTL communication, of course that is an assumption on my part.

And if I read correctly the mystery radio, well it isn't a mystery at all. Wasn't it to be used to measure wobbles in the spin axis once the rovers drive mechanism burned out?

reply to post by AstroEngineer


i sympathize with ya on that one. years ago, upon my arrival to ATS, and up to a year after, i was hounded by a certain poster who shall remain anonymous, regarding my future plans. he was accusing me of using ATS to drum up a following in order to sell my ebooks (which were free). to this day, i refuse to sell them in the event i am wrong. i've covered some controversial and obscure material, and my interpretation could be totally wrong or spot on. either way, i decided to refrain from selling any future books on the subject for that and several other reasons. however, it hasn't stopped people who hold similar theories, from borrowing the data and using it in their own books, which they DO sell. that's a scenario you may want to prepare yourself for. it's flattering and distressing at the same time.

reply to post by AstroEngineer


hold fast to your original intentions and ideals, the most appreciative audience is also most likely the quietest.

reply to post by Catalytic


FLASH! WHOA-O!



that's a nice thing for you to say. i'm sure he'll appreciate it.

People should stop being [snip] and start listening for a change. Yes we as a community maybe skepticle of any new people that arive at the scene with amazing tales to tell. But give him a chance, because if we scare of these guys the only thing that is left are the loonatics.

Once again, start respecting what you get, and the work this person has put into this. Be constructive and have patience.

-CB



Mod Edit - removed profanity.

[edit on 30-3-2010 by elevatedone]

Whats his blog link?. ATS has removed it.

My 2nd question. You are obviously intelligent, whether this be hoax or truth. You are trying to protect your identity. Which if it was true makes sense. Yet you sign your 1st post John. You provide your background in software engineering. You specify you have 20 yrs+ with NASA. You even give us the last timeframe of your employment, the amnesia episodes. If that information is correct, you are readily identifiable.

My initial opinion is that if you were leaking critical information that you would have already eaten your last lucky peanut. But if I'm capable of identifying you then the NSA would have no trouble doing so. But as intelligent as you are I sincerely doubt you'd readily identify yourself.. The name is irrelevant. You could be easily identified by your project leadership, your specialty, your tenure and your kids.

I apologize. But if you were that concerned about your career and your safety, you would have told us nothing about your background. A spot of technical information not available to the genpop would have sufficed for credibility. So I either think you are hoaxing us and/or you are representing to be someone higher up on the food chain. I wonder if this could be related to the lawsuit? Represent yourself as your department head leaking information and boom. With those new background investigations to become compliant that would prove an interesting prank. But frankly this all seems too obvious. If I am wrong and you accidentilly revealed yourself then I apologize.

Can people not see what is going on here? We have been divided, and fighting with each other on this forum for how many days?? Who cares what he can or can't prove - let's leave that up to him. But fighting amongst each other is called "dividing and conquering" - If that's his motive, well then he's done a good job!

If he can prove he worked for NASA, and HE CAN give us "any evidence" of that, then let's listen. My personal feelings - I don't buy it. He sounds like a glorified writer researching his subject. BUT we must not fight amongst each other. We are a family here, and we should respect all.

Peace, Tortoise

reply to post by AstroEngineer

Originally posted by AstroEngineer
Many have requested that I stop posting here until I have the rest to reveal at once. It seems I might as well comply with this request.

So was that a "yes you are going to answer us now," or a "I am taking a leave of absence until I have the answers ATS is seeking."?


While I have enjoyed reading your posts they have been sparse between the amount of 'gunk' replies in between. Now in fairness, that does not necessarily point to you not being willing to answer. I understand and respect your real life obligations to your wife and family and wish that the members flaming you solely on "time of response" would back down. Also, in terms of "time of response," yes it has been 20 pages of gunk but look at how little of a span of time. For someone who does not live on internet forums all day I personally think the OP is justified in that defense.


OP, and this is where you have been losing faith from myself and many others,


I understand that the character limit for typing can be a pain in the butt. I could understand the fact that you have a blog as a secondary tool to avoid the copy and paste. But when you do things like this below you anger people,

Originally posted by AstroEngineer
-

Sorry about the teaser ending. I might as well have a little fun, and it was the best place to break. I'll try to post the next block within 24 hours.

John

I finally created a blog last week and will post this on there as well, since it may be far more readable and easier to follow without the 4000 char limit.

*snip*

 

Personal blog removed per ATS Terms & Conditions Of Use – Please Review This Link.

[edit on March 29th 2010 by greeneyedleo]

You see, telling us you "want to have a little fun" with us leads many of the more jaded members to feel as though they are being strung along for a fool with a story that will produce no results.


Back to my earlier mentioned statement at the top of my post,

Originally posted by AstroEngineer
Many have requested that I stop posting here until I have the rest to reveal at once. It seems I might as well comply with this request.

So was that a "yes you are going to answer us now," or a "I am taking a leave of absence until I have the answers ATS is seeking."?





Again, I repeat from my question in the post previous,

"Put up or shut up"

Thank you and have a nice day.

Hello AE. Some of us are truly interested in your story. In fact I just go to your post and skip all the mindless drivel that some seem so quick to post. Impatient people.

Some of us understand your concern for anonymity, you would not be posting under a handle if not. Asking for credentials is a blatant disregard for T&C. You are right about the "birth certificate" issue. Some will never be satisfied.

So don't let the trolls bother you and keep up the good work.

Look forward to hearing the rest of your story.

Also if I thought you were doing this just to try to promote a future book, why would you give it away here first? You wouldn't.

[edit on 30-3-2010 by timewalker]

reply to post by timewalker


Excuse me Timewalker, he's given nothing away! So how does that hurt his chances of a book? If he EVER decides to publish 1? I am waiting for an update from him, as are many here.

BTW - I'm not against the man, I'm merely hoping he can supply us with good info

[edit on 30-3-2010 by TortoiseKweek]

reply to post by TortoiseKweek

Can people not see what is going on here? We have been divided, and fighting with each other on this forum for how many days?? Who cares what he can or can't prove - let's leave that up to him. But fighting amongst each other is called "dividing and conquering" - If that's his motive, well then he's done a good job!

You should practice what you preach.

Geez, the guy gives a story and there are 20 pages of bickering. I see only a few discussing the info he gave. This is just sad.

So.. can anyone confirm this guys general info, or is this easily accessed information about spirit?

[edit on 30-3-2010 by SmokeandShadow]

reply to post by undo


Yes, Mr Icke does get a bit naughty at times with his spurious allegations. But anyway...

I am very interested in the fact that you publish! I'd love to see what you've written.

In between my roach killing and preparing my caustic remarks for the OP and his supporters (joking), I'm going to have a dig around and see if I can find something that might have relevance to this post (ooh!! very mysterious, I know).

There's something about the material in this thread..........hmm.

Anyway, I'm off