Spinning Ball Experiment

One of the first experiments he did was designed to detect if there was any difference in gravitational effect on a rotating object verses non-rotating object. The idea was actually initiated by a student of DePalma’s and after an extensive search in the literature, no evidence could be found that the experiment had been performed before. It became an educational exercise to see if this variation on Galileo’s big rock verses little rock falling experiment would show any variation in the rate of fall.
At this time DePalma was a senior scientist specializing in photographic sciences with the Polaroid Land Corporation and lecturing part time at M.I.T. His expertise ranged from highspeed stroboscopic photography, his mentor was the highly regarded Dr. Harold Edgerton, to Physics and Electrical Engineering. With this background he designed an experiment using two 1 inch diameter ball bearings, one not rotating and one rotating 18,000 rpm produced by a hand router. The assembly then was given a precisely measured thrust and photographed in the dark with a 60 cycle strobe light. Repeating this numerous times, and analyzing the parallel trajectories of the ball bearings as documented photographically, did indeed reveal a variation in the gravitational behavior of the rotating ball bearing verses the non-rotating ball bearing. The rotating ball given the same thrust, went to a higher point in its trajectory, fell faster, and hit the bottom of its trajectory before the non-rotating ball bearing. A second test repeatedly demonstrated a small but significant and clearly perceptible effect with a stationary mechanism designed to drop the ball bearings from a height of only six feet.
After years of reflection on these results he wrote an evaluation on May 3, 1977 called, “Understanding the Dropping of the Spinning Ball Experiment.”
http://depalma.pair.com/SpinningBall(Understanding).html

The conclusions are organized:

1. Rotating objects falling in a gravitational field are accelerated at a rate greater that G,
   the commonly accepted rate for non-rotating objects falling in a vacuum.
2. Pendula utilizing bob weights which are rotating, swing non-sinusoidally with time
   periods increased over pendula with non-rotating bobs.
3. A precessing gyroscope has a measurable anomalous inertial mass, greater than its stationary mass.
4. An anomalous field phenomenon has been discovered, the OD field, which confers inertia on objects immersed within it. This field is generated by the constrained forced precession of a rotating gyroscope.

One of the early devices DePalma used to observe these effects consisted of an apparatus that he called the, “Force Machine,” which consisted of two counter-rotating gyroscopes described in “The Generation of a Unidirectional Force.” April 22, 1974. http://depalma.pair.com/GenerationofUnidirectionalForce.html
The archetypical gravitational engine or Force machine is a combination of two counter-rotating gyroscopes with axles parallel and rotors co-planer. Constructed in 1971, the machine weighed 276 pounds. The assembly was suspended from a spring scale and the gyroscopes driven counter rotating to each other at 7600 rpm. Under these circumstances, the support cylinder was then rotated itself at 4 rpm to precess the two gyros. Precisely accurate measurements, consistently demonstrated 4-6 pounds of weight loss.
A variation of this device also described in this paper as the”Linear Force Machine,” provided enough propulsion or “force against space itself” or “space drive” effect to propel someone across the room on a small cart.
In another experiment showing the properties of an “inertial field” created by the proximity of a rotating object, the frequency of a tuning fork in an Accutron watch is changed by this field effect as demonstrated by the variation in the time shown on the watch. http://depalma.pair.com/Absurdity/Absurdity09/NatureOfelectricalInduction.html
The results of the Spinning Ball Experiment were published in the British Scientific Research Association Journal in 1976. This experiment was also outlined personally by DePalma to Dr. Edward Purcell, one of the most eminent experimental physicists from Harvard at that time. According to DePalma, Purcell, after contemplating the experiment for several minutes, remarked “This will change everything.”
Also, Adam Trombly was at this same time being denied the ability to Patent his electromagnetic version of a homopolar generator by the United States Patent office. Their statements were to the effect that this particular configuration of a generator was, “implausible to the extreme.” Others in the field were being threatened with a document referred to as Title 35, which is a cease and desist order related to national security and secrecy. This is a real document and it is very intimidating to be threatened by it – prison and fines.
Paramahamsa Tewari, which much faith had been placed as a third party confirmation, was getting press but people were prejudice about the confirmations coming from India. This even though he was a senior governmental scientist, and the Director of a Nuclear Power plant at the time.
While the “N” effect was being validated elsewhere around the world, in United States the lack of support had led DePalma to consider offers of support from outside the country. The basic ability to feed and house himself became the constant primary concern, and something had to change for the sake of the research and physical well being of the inventor.
After meeting with everyone from the head of the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara, to the principles of Northern Pacific Railroad, no one would risk investment in DePalma. It revolved around two positions. One was the problem that no other physicists would agree that it was possible to extract electricity directly from a magnet, and two, every investor actually capable of producing the technology was hopelessly invested in industry which would be hugely negatively impacted by the development of an alternative energy source.
George Bush the First then invaded Kuwait, and DePalma could see the Future. Perpetual war for Peace and OIL. The Country to which he had been born, now looked to him like someplace unfamiliar. His principle financial supporter had been Court ordered, on instructions from the supporter’s family, not to give him any more money.