Aether research peaked during the 19th century, then abruptly stopped when the Michelson-Morley experiment (MMX) failed to detect the Earth's motion through the electromagnetic aether. Desperate physicists turned to a contrived theory called relativity to resolve the impasse, by declaring aether irrelevant (at first). This was a primary cause of the chaos and confusion characterizing 20th century physics.
Vacuum testing replaced the MMX air medium, on the belief that it was sound and thermal errors that contributed to the 'null' finding. This paper will show that the vacuum choice in fact made measurements impossible - a case of 'throwing the baby out with the bath water'. A simple solution to the 'null' result issue is found by applying the concepts in the ALFA model and supported by the excellent experimental work of the Russian dissident Demjanov.
