Even with installation of the more sophisticated equipment described earlier, a time-tested 100-foot circle of ninety-one sequenced, 150-watt spotlights with one coded central light continues in operation at the P.S.I. research site in the hill country northwest of Austin. The accompanying photo, taken from a helicopter near dusk, depicts the circle of lights and surrounding terrain. The concrete slab at lower left is the foundation of the small P.S.I. laboratory building number 1, shown complete in the other photos in this issue.

The circle of spotlights is electromechanically sequenced by the modified record turntable- plus- microswitches shown in the accompanying photo. Lights flash sequentially in each third of the circle (120-degrees apart), producing a semblance of three meteors with trails chasing each other around the circumference. Soon the electro-mechanical sequencer may be replaced by a more versatile solid-state device, and the ninety-one spotlights by one hundred one-million candle power strobes.

Various codes can be programmed to flash via the central spotlight. Presently three "dashes", followed by one dash, followed by four dashes, are used as a crude, graphic representation of pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter (3.14 . . .).

The light circle unit serves as a wide-angle visual signal. Its use is based on the fact that over the years UFOs have reportedly responded to lights flashed at them from the ground, and seem to have shown interest in ground constructions and shapes which appear new or unusual when seen from above.

After 1 a.m. on a morning in early May, 1972, while the light circle was set up near Pipe Creek, Texas, over two hours drive from Austin, an object visible only as a single, bright white strobe seemed to respond to the light circle.

After seeming to instantly relocate itself at positions in the night sky separated by as much as 35-degrees to 40-degrees, the light source seemed to hover very high over the light circle for about 2.5 minutes. During that time, the object's 'strobe' light appeared to be on only when the circle's pi-coding light (dot-dot-dot-dash was used at that time) was off. Whenever the pi-coding light was on, the mysterious, hovering strobe light was off, resulting in a dash-dot-dot-dot pattern. Some persons have interpreted that action as the transmission of the mathematical inverse pi, or 1/pi.

After the extended hover overhead, the light source suddenly reappeared about 10 to 15-degrees northwest from the zenith. It was then seen as a steady, hovering, white light for only a few seconds, whereupon it seemed to instantly relocate to a position about 45-degrees above the northwestern horizon. After hovering there as a steady white light for a few seconds, it 'instantly' reappeared perhaps 15-degrees over the northwestern horizon. There it glowed steadily for a few seconds, then disappeared permanently from view.

While the incident described does not constitute strong evidence of intelligent response by a UFO, the event has encouraged some of the P.S.I. staff.

Use of the light circle is in keeping with P.S.I.'s working hypothesis that UFOs may represent an advanced technology related to an intelligence which may be capable of response to intelligently directed, non-hostile signals of various types.
 
 

A third-generation microprocessor- a type of miniaturized computer made possible by advanced microcircuitry and solid state technology - has been obtained preparatory to its installation at the P.S.I. laboratory.

Al Mouton, a digital applications engineer on the Project Starlight staff, is now evaluating projected applications of the highly useful microprocessor so that it may be applied to maximum benefit. An article in a future issue of the Journal of instrumented UFO Research will go into some detail regarding the unit's specific applications.

Mr. Mouton, who recently moved from Phoenix, Arizona, to Austin in order to work closely with P.S.I., is a graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology. He has written several published technical articles on electronic timers and control units, and holds a patent involving interface techniques for liquid crystal displays.

Also engaging the project engineer's efforts is the completion of a miniaturized digital time display from WWVBV (universal time in binary format) to be visible in the recorded image area of a seven-frame-per-second telephoto camera using high speed 35 mm film.