Abstract

This paper decidedly answers the challenge of the President of the Natural Philosophy Alliance to find a replacement theory for the Special Theory of Relativity by the year 2005, around which a majority of ?non-relativists' can converge and coalesce. We do so by drawing attention to an existing consistent theory of space and time that is derived from the work of Maxwell, Lorentz, Fitzgerald, Larmour and Ives. It is a semi-classical ether-based theory that is in precise agreement with special relativity over its full range of cor-rect predictions and importantly is viewed by the physics establishment as being a viable alternative. We take a critical step necessary for the acceptance of this semi-classical theory by demonstrating detection of its associated preferred reference frame-the ether-precisely the frame that Michelson and Morley failed to detect in 1887 and which special relativity strictly forbids. This detection is accomplished using two well-known physical phenomena. The detection of the ether, which has eluded discovery for over 100 years, immediately invalidates special relativity since this theory prohibits the existence of a preferred reference frame. As Martin Gardener said, ?if Michelson and Morley had detected an ether wind, the special theory would have been ruled out from the start?.