"The ability to wonder is not a luxury, 
but a way of life." - Unknown Author
The Black Cat
Good Evening.
You are watching "The Black Cat".
At the beginning of the 70' 
one of our satirists,
seeking to entertain his public, pronounuced 
the following, apparently funny sentence:
"Talented people have to be helped, while 
talentless ones should get by on their own."
20 years later it's hard to find a person 
who would at least smile, after hearing this.
The fates of today's protagonists are 
a clear illustration of this concept.
Shot down at Takeoff
or
A Chance to Survive
A Wonderful Discovery
At the Soviet Academy of Science two scientists- Flyorov and Petroshak are at work.
These daring bringers of scientific innovation have unveiled
one of the secrets of the composition of matter.
They discovered the spontaneous decay of uranium.
Uranium contains fabulous amounts of energy.
A pinch of uranium would be enough to power a train steam engine for 10 days.
This wonderful discovery of these young soviet scientists is a new step
towards finding the solution to one of the most interesting problems of physics:
the exploitation of nuclear energy.
So, the whole world began a pursuit for this mysterious energy.
This discovery is followed by another one, and another, and so on.
This is just the beginning of a mass hysteria,
that will cause humanity to release a terrible demon upon itself.
A feat achieved through global effort.
The event occurs in August 1945.
Hiroshima. Nagasaki.
These sacrifices were necessary to the United States not to put an end to World War II,
but to send a message- that the United States are the only country
in posession of nuclear weapons.
A weapon, capable of bringing not only Japan, but the whole world to its knees.
Only 4 years later, and the Soviet Union will have the same weapon at it's disposal.
This marks the beginning of the Cold War, 
but it will be played out at a later date.
 However, in 1939, when nuclear fusion was discovered,
the scientists were full of optimistic hopes.
They were convinced, that nuclear energy 
was a greater good, their gift to humanity.
Kurchatov, Kapitza, Landau- 
were young, and our protagonist,
Ivan Filimonenko, was only 15 years old.
He was not aware yet, that in two years 
he would voluntarily go to war.
And he certainly wasn't aware,
 that only 6 years after the war,
he, too, would take part 
in this nuclear madness.
- My job was the research 
and development of
nuclear energy technology for use in space.
Starting from the very foundations,
since no knowledge was available 
on the subject,
I developed massive pieces of machinery.
In the beginning the goal 
was to maximize range,
so we used hydroboric fuels- 
Penta-Boran and Deca-Boran.
- Rocket range?
- Yes, rockets.
However, at that time, we could only achieve 
a maximum range of 12.000 kilometers.
So, I started developing 
nuclear power plants,
carrying out experiments 
in the mean time.
This brought about the creation of devices, 
that could orbit the earth 40 times.
After graduating from the faculty 
of Rocket Technology,
and after going through a special 
course on nuclear physics,
in 1951 Ivan Stepanovich 
Filimonenko was directed
to a top secret research and development 
organization- the "Red Star".
He did non partecipate in the creation of
nuclear, hydrogen and neutron bombs,
working, instead, on reactors 
for space crafts.
While working on his projects, he realized, 
that the usage of uranium in reactors
would ultimately be disastrous 
for humanity.
Hence, he proposed a different approach: 
the use of cold fusion,
without the use of uranium.
The fact, that this was possible, 
Filimonenko proved back in 1957,
by developing a device, the emissions 
of which were able to absorb radiation.
At the same time the device produced 
energy, oxygen and hydrogen,
as well as high pressure steam, 
that could power a turbine.
The device did not require 
uranium to function,
so it did non produce neutron 
radiation and radioactive waste,
being, thus, ecologically clean.
Only one power source was 
required- heavy water.
What made the device even 
more unique, was the fact,
that it's employment for industrial needs 
would yearly save the Soviet Union
over 300 billion US dollars,
by replacing the burning 
of coal, petroleum and natural gas.
A unique opportunity presented itself:
to save the planet from contamination 
by nuclear waste.
Also, in the same year 1957, during 
the creation of his energy device,
Filimonenko realized the possibility 
of developing space craft engines,
that could function 
without dropping mass,
by using the earth's magnetic 
field for repulsion.
He developed a device with a 
lifting power of 5 metric tons.
This was the world's 
first flying saucer.
- It uses charged disks to interact 
with the earth's magnetic field,
creating Lorentz force, 
that propels the flying craft.
- Silently?
- Yes, silently.
- At what velocity?
- The velocity can be enough 
to maintain orbit, break orbit,
or leave the confines 
of the solar system.
The far reaching repercussions 
of Filimonenko's discoveries
were first realized by 
Korolev and Kurchatov,
who, supported by Marshall Zhukov, 
petitioned the government.
The result was the resolution 
number 715295,
ratified by the ministers 
of the Soviet Union,
and signed by Khrushev and 
Kosygin on July 23 1960.
It contained a request 
from Marshall Zhukov:
"Being concerned with the future of Russia,
 I ask you to sign this resolution.".
- The resolution contained three 
directives: to perform research
on generation of energy, 
generation of non-repulsive thrust,
and new approaches to protection 
from nuclear radiation.
It was, what I had worked on.
Ivan Filimonenko, without even being 
a PhD, was granted authority
beyond that of any academician 
in the Soviet Union.
About 80 of the country's largest 
national defense estabilishments
were following the directives of the 
Lead Engineer- Ivan Filimonenko.
But the death of Kurchatov and, 
subsequently, Korolev
brings about the resignation of 
Zhukov and Filimonenko is discharged,
first as Lead Engineer and later, 
under the guise of a downsizing,
entirely from the company.
This happens in the year 1968.
- Those who organized your discharge, 
your dismissal prom the project,
decided that you completed 
your part of the work,
and they could finish 
the rest without you?
- Yes, it went down like this.
All the experimental data for the 
further development of the devices
has already been collected, hence 
they decided, that the job was done,
and all that remained was to charge 
the collective with production.
Three more years were required to 
complete the work on the flying saucer.
To complete the unparalleled 
radiation absorption device
mere months would be sufficient.
He didn't make it.
They didn't let him.
He was vilely shot down at takeoff.
For some time, he did non 
believe what happened,
tried to petition the Central Committee,
but those who discharged him 
knew, what they were doing.
Filimonenko's discoveries 
were too attractive
and many would be able to 
use them for personal gain.
Each stolen bit would bring PhD's,
academic degrees, 
even medals.
But the incredible happened: without 
Filimonenko's oversight nobody was able
to complete work on the flying saucer 
or the radiation absorption device.
As a result the country, 
and the whole world,
failed to choose a cheaper and 
safer development strategy.
Instead of cold fusion, the deadly 
nuclear reactor was chosen.
- If things would have turned out differently, 
and Kurchatov, Korolev and Zhukov
would have lived, we would 
have finished everything.
- And the country 
would now be different.
- Completely.
- And the world 
would be different.
- Completely different.
There was another reason for the discharge 
of Ivan Filimonenko, even several.
Starting with year 1955 he was conducting 
research on the dangers of radiation
in nuclear and thermal power plants 
and nuclear weapon tests,
as well as the use of nuclear 
power on space vessels.
Thanks to a detailed report 
over 46 pages,
which he presented to 
the Central Committee,
launches of crafts to Jupiter 
and Mars were prevented.
The crafts were powered by nuclear reactors 
and carried large payloads of uranium.
In the event of a crash during launch 
or return of the craft to earth,
radiation poisoning would be 
equivalent to 600 atomic explosions,
such as the one in Hiroshima.
This has been confirmed by the 
crash of three satellites
with nuclear reactors on board.
The canceling of the Jupiter and Mars 
programs caused discontent
in the ranks of scientists, who worked 
on the reactors for these crafts.
A hounding was organized 
for Filimonenko,
which resulted in his dismissal 
from the project.
However, he was able to submit his report 
to the Central Committee in time,
detailing the magnitude of pollution from 
the nuclear and thermal power plants,
as well as the inevitable 
demise of humanity
in case of continued unlimited 
testing of nuclear weapons.
However, no precautions to protect 
the population from radiation were taken,
neither in the Soviet Union, nor in any 
other nation with nuclear power.
Despite the fact, that several years after 
the atmosperic nuclear tests,
the levels of contamination 
of air, soil, food
and the bodies of people 
were tested.
It was determined, that on the 
territory of the Soviet Union
the atmosphere and food supplies 
were poisoned by radioisotopes,
and the concentration of which,
 in the bones of children,
was four times greater, than that 
of children in other countries.
In one kilogram of bread there where 
twice as many radionuclides,
than in a liter of milk.
However, this data 
was classified.
Filimonenko himself calculated, that 
every block of every nuclear power plant,
even if working incident-free produces 
each year about 100.000.000 Curie
worth of radioactive material,
for instance, the radioactive gas Krypton-85 
that is vented into the atmosphere.
He was deemed insane and 
hidden away in a psychiatric hospital.
Thanks to other scientists,
a month later Filimonenko was released, 
but the damage had already been done.
From that moment, everything Filimonenko 
said, could be easily denied-
"What do you expect, 
he is just a madman".
In the circumstances of the cold war, 
when each side at all costs seeks to
get ahead of the competitor in terms of 
power and number of nuclear weapons,
any public statement about the dangers 
to mankind was perceived almost as treason
to the interests of the country.
Neither had our leaders particular
 trust in the scientists.
Not only the leaders, but common folk 
refused to believe- proof was required.
And so it was provided.
