Maureen Clemmons

Soaring Stones: a Kite-powered Approach to Building Egypt's Pyramids Maureen Clemmons

It?s an unforgettable sight: innovation expert Maureen Clemmons can lift and ?fly? massive stones, some of them weighing sixteen tons, with little more than a steady wind and a good kite. But did the ancient Egyptians do the same thing when hoisting immense pyramid stones? Egyptologists say no. Clemmons, backed by a decade of field tests and a Caltech aeronautics team, isn?t so certain-- especially when the Egyptologists make it clear they are unwilling to consider evidence from anyone outside their insular field. Buoyed by a tremendous groundswell of grassroots support, Clemmons? stunning, block-heaving experiments generate national news coverage, a History Channel documentary, and a mention in engineering textbooks. Audiences from NASA, the American Institute of Architects, and a multitude of universities gather to hear her compelling presentations. In the span of just a few short years, she successfully advances a simple ?Eureka!? moment in her California backyard to the halls of academia, and eventually to Egypt?s Giza Plateau, site of the actual pyramids. She also proves an important point: that you don?t need a degree, just an inspired idea and some passion, to be a good scientist. Written by Time science contributor Daniel Cray.