Soaring Stones: A Kite-Powered Approach to Building Egypt's Pyramids

It’s an unforgettable sight: innovation expert Maureen Clemmons can lift and “fly” massive objects, including five-ton stones, with little more than a steady wind and a good kite. But did the ancient Egyptians do the same thing when hoisting immense obelisks and pyramid stones? Egyptologists say no. Clemmons, backed by a decade of field tests and a Caltech aeronautics team, isn’t so certain—especially when she learns the Egyptologists will not consider evidence from anyone outside their insular field. Buoyed by grassroots support and determined to show her children that science is for everyone, she launches into a series of stunning, block-heaving experiments that draw national news coverage… and open up a dangerous opportunity to try lifting a sixteen-ton, twenty-five-foot-tall megalith as the History Channel’s documentary cameras roll. Can a backyard scientist lift such a massive stone using wind? Clemmons’ unrelenting efforts not only advance a simple “Eureka!” moment to the halls of academia but prove an important point: you don’t need a degree, just an inspired idea and some passion, to be a good scientist. Written by Time science contributor Dan Cray.

Innovation consultant Maureen Clemmons holds a doctorate and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She is president of Transformations, a consulting firm specializing in SAP installations, change management, and innovation. WINGS WorldQuest, an organization celebrating women who advance science, and the Explorer's Club, an international society for advancing scientific field research, elected her a fellow for her pioneering achievements. Clemmons lives with her family in Reseda, California.

Dan Cray covered science and news as a Time journalist for twenty-three years, reporting more than sixty cover stories and sharing a National Headliner Award for coverage of the O.J. Simpson verdict. He is also a novelist and holds a degree in English from UCLA. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.