19 lines
No EOL
1.5 KiB
Markdown
19 lines
No EOL
1.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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category: "Nuclear Scientists & Programs"
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tags:
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- Person
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- Nuclear
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- Israel
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summary: "His panel's assignment was carefully weighted towards investigating the possibility that the VELA sighting had been a false alarm."
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born: 1923-08-19
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died: 2015-02-04
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location: "Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts"
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---
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Jack P. Ruina was a professor of electrical engineering at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] and a longtime consultant to the [[Pentagon]] on military and scientific issues. He was chosen by [[Frank Press]] to direct an outside panel to study the [[VELA Satellite]] data after a probable nuclear explosion was detected on September 22, 1979. Ruina held many sensitive clearances and was known for his discretion.[^1]
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His panel's assignment was carefully weighted towards investigating the possibility that the VELA sighting had been a false alarm. The panel concluded that the VELA sighting "contains sufficient internal inconsistency to cast serious doubt whether that signal originated from a nuclear explosion or in fact from any light sources in the proximity of the VELA satellite." They also found no collateral signs of a nuclear event. The panel eventually reported in July 1980 that the flash was "probably not from a nuclear explosion," suggesting it might have been a "zoo event" (a signal of unknown cause), possibly a meteoroid impact.[^1]
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### Footnotes
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[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 20. |