Airline Explosive Thwarted --- UCSB Scientists Find Way to Detect PETN

[tabatha]

Fliers may now – or in the near future – travel with somewhat more confidence. A joint effort on behalf of UCSB professors and researchers, both teams a combination of experts from the mechanical engineering and chemistry departments, has resulted in an ability to detect even the smallest levels of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), the substance used in the attempted terrorist attack aboard the Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit on December 25.

The inventors, who formed SpectraFluids Inc. at the Storke-Hollister Research Center as a means of commercializing the detection technique, are confident in the technology’s accuracy. Most likely to be implemented for use in handheld scanners and portal devices, the technology will be able to identify PETN – one of the most explosive materials in the world – in either solid or vapor form, should it emanate anywhere from a passenger, luggage, or both.

Unlike other screening measures suggested in the wake of the recent terrorist attempt – such as full-body scanners, which virtually undress the passengers – the PETN detection technology will allow for both added security and passengers’ rights to privacy. It will also purportedly be less expensive for the airports to install and less time-consuming for fliers. More importantly, added SpectraFluids CEO Craig Cummings, PETN “is difficult to detect using conventional airport scanning and inspection technology.”

Because of this, plans are in the works to update existing airport scanners with the new device sometime this year.

http://www.independent.com/news/2010/jan/08/airline-explosive-thwarted/

[Dr.Phool]

1. Now, if they could find a way to detect PETA.

[tabatha]

3. LOL

[Tesha]

2. Yeah sure.

It'll probably take the bad guys all of 90 seconds to figure
out a workaround, switch to a different explosive, or switch
to a completely different, non-exlosive technique.

Tesha

[tabatha]

4. PETN has been around a long time,

and thus far no alternative has appeared.

[Tesha]

8. You have a very limited imagination.

PETN may be the explosive of choice in many circumstances,
but it is by no means the only one. And for specialized require-
ments (like blowing up planes without detection), PETN may not
be the optimum choice.

Tesha

[tabatha]

9. What others are there?

Please educate my limited imagination.

[Tesha]

10. Educate yourself. Here's a starting point...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?search=Category%3Aexplosives

[tabatha]

12. I know there are many types of explosives.

How many can be concealed like PETN?

The reason I asked is because I don't know of any PETN substitutes, and I am guessing you don't either.

[Tesha]

14. I know of several, but I won't do your work for you.

I also don't like people who argue by way of putting up
endless hoops and commanding that their opponents jump
through them.

If you want to learn about explosives, go learn about them.
If you want to waste my time in the hopes that you'll win an
argument in that way, go play with someone else.

Tesha

[tabatha]

15. I don't want to learn about explosives.

And, when I criticize a person's post, I usually supply data to support my critique - which you did not.
You original response was snarky.

"Yeah sure.

It'll probably take the bad guys all of 90 seconds to figure
out a workaround, switch to a different explosive, or switch
to a completely different, non-exlosive technique.

Tesha"

I was interested in some data to support your claim, or whether you just pulled it out of the air.

[Tesha]

19. On advice of my attorney, I will *NOT* publicly disclose my ideas on how the PETN detector could...

...be circumvented, but I assure you that anyone with technical talent
could come up with at least five ideas in ninety seconds and many
more with a few hours thought. And many of those ideas would work
just fine *AT LEAST ONCE*.

That's the fundamental problem, you see. There are so many ways
to conduct the attack that we can't possibly defend against all of them
and any given mode of attack only has to work once to be quite effective
as "terrorism", especially when the American media and government is
so ready, willing, and able to help keep Americans terrorized. The burned
balls bomber didn't succeed, but even his nutty effort has drastically raised
the people's terror; they're now willing to cede every civil liberty under
the sun just to be "safer" on that plane.

That's why I responded to your post in the way that I did. You bought
right into this happy talk in the PR puff piece when, in fact, the existence
of this machine will hardly change the real dynamic one iota.

Tesha

[tabatha]

16. Also, my original post was to share some good news

about an interesting development by some highly expert people.

You initial response was totally unnecessary and unkind.

[Tesha]

18. Kicking this in the hope of responding later... (NT)

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. do they screen baggage handlers, technicians, mechanics, delivery people, cleaners etc?

what about boats, buses, trains, tunnels......

hysteria

[tabatha]

6. I have no idea - but since airplanes are the vehicle of choice

possibly that would calm a lot of the hysteria.

[leftynyc]

7. And your solution

would be?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

17. keep your fingers crossed?

[Tikki]

11. UCSB...

My Alma mater...:)

[tabatha]

13. A lot of good research goes on there.

They also demonstrated that voting machines are unreliable.