Posted on 08/30/2006 12:57:41 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The government is taking the unusual step of responding to conspiracy theories about the destruction of the World Trade Center.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, Gaithersberg, Md.), which investigated the causes of the collapse of the twin towers, said Wednesday (Aug. 30) that it has posted a "fact sheet" addressing alternatve theories about the fires and collapse. Several academics have put forth a "controlled demolition" and missile attack hypotheses for the destruction of the towers.
NIST concluded after a three-year building and fire safety investigation that the towers collapsed after being hit by separate, fuel-laden aircraft flown by terrorists. The impacts severed and damaged support columns, dislodging fireproofing insulation and dispersing jet fuel over multiple floors of each tower.
The resulting fire, which reached temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees C, weakened floors and columns, causing upper floors to collapse after sagging and pulling inward on perimeter columns. "This led to the inward bowing of the perimeter columns and failure of the south face of WTC 1 and the east face of WTC 2, initiating the collapse of each of the towers," NIST concluded.
NIST's probe rejected claims that upper floors "pancaked" on top of lower floors, causing the collapses. Other investigations pointed to huge amounts of office supplies, especially paper, as a source of fuel that significantly raised the temperature of tower fires beyond those that jet fuel would normally burn outside of an aircraft engine combustion chamber.
"Both photographic and video evidence—as well as accounts from the New York Police Department aviation unit during a half-hour period prior to collapse—support this sequence for each tower." NIST concluded.
Far more controversial are theories about explosions inside the towers. Conspiracy theorists postulate that puffs of smoke seen at the time of each collapse are evidence of a controlled demolition. Critics of the official probe also cited seismic data they claim showed evidence of explosions just before each tower collapsed. Other theories alleged missiles were fired at the doomed towers.
While both NIST and the 9/11 Commission have dismissed these theories, U.S. officials have been compelled to address allegations widely disseminated on the Internet.
"NIST respects the opinions of others who do not agree with the findings in its report on the [World Trade Center] collapses," the agency said in a statement. "However, the WTC Investigation Team stands solidly behind the collapse mechanisms for each tower and the sequences of events (from aircraft impact to collapse) as described in the report."
This just proves that the study is part of the conspiracy. :-)
ROFL! How do I get a job that pays big bucks for writing lengthy studies on the obvious????
My first proposed topic will be a study of whether the sun rises in the east.
Do they have a reasonable explanation for WTC7 coming down in less than 10 seconds without taking a direct hit from a plane or having any major fires?
A year or two ago a group of us were on a tour of NIST (a member of my committee works there, in fact in the Building and Fire Research Laboratory) and saw many of the beams from the Towers laid out there. Sobering.
Nothing will ever shut these people up.
Actually, sun doesn't rise. It looks like it is rising from certain points of earth at certain time.
You're nuts.
"without taking a direct hit from a plane or having any major fires"
Ummm you might want to check your facts again. There was a major fire in the building and did you forget the thousands of pounds of debris that fell on to Blg. 7?
Firemen gave testimony that loud pops and creaks were being heard from the building and the order was given to pull back because of eminent collapse.
"or having any major fires?"
Better check on that one. There was a major fire on Floor 5 (I think) due to tenant's backup generator diesel tanks, plus a huge diesel tank on a lower floor that pumped diesel up to Floor 5.
The fire burned out of control for hours, and firefighters made no serious attempt to extinguish it, they had bigger fish to fry.
Yes. George Bush himself lit the fuse on a gigantic stick of dynamite. I heard a guy on Art Bell (he was on the radio, so he must be credible) who saw Bush and Cheney sneaking around the WTC just hours before the "attacks."
/tinfoil hat-wearing nutcase mode
just guessing here... did the 110 story building falling on it help?
Great post
Yes.
Wikipedia entry on "True Believers" outlines a similar syndrome in another area of belief. It is much like Bush Hatred Syndrome...you begin with the belief that Bush is evil, and then pile up "facts" to support what you believe. People may disprove individual facts, but to the "True Believer", there is always something formed in a "yeah, BUT"-tal that veers away and starts the cycle again. When faced with contradictory fact, a True Believer will just latch onto another set of facts, because the truth, that their basic supposition is flawed, cannot be examined.
Do you have a reasonable explanation for why the "Bush Conspiracy" demolished WTC7? Wouldn't it look kind of suspicious to demolish a building that had not taken a direct hit from a plane or had any major fires?
But.. but.. that guy with the rabbit hutch!!
This kind of wild-eyed assertion shows that my study needs to be done.
It was suspicious that it came down so fast......how do you explain it?
Based on asking a question?
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