---
born: 1923-08-19
category: Nuclear Scientists & Programs
died: 2015-02-04
location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
summary: His panel's assignment was carefully weighted towards investigating the possibility
  that the VELA sighting had been a false alarm.
tags:
- Person
- Nuclear
- Israel
---

Jack P. Ruina was a professor of electrical engineering at the [MIT](/organizations/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/) and a longtime consultant to the [Pentagon](/organizations/pentagon/) on military and scientific issues. He was chosen by [Frank Press](/people/frank-press/) to direct an outside panel to study the [VELA Satellite](/concepts/vela-satellite/) data after a probable nuclear explosion was detected on September 22, 1979. Ruina held many sensitive clearances and was known for his discretion.[^1]

His panel's assignment was carefully weighted towards investigating the possibility that the VELA sighting had been a false alarm. The panel concluded that the VELA sighting "contains sufficient internal inconsistency to cast serious doubt whether that signal originated from a nuclear explosion or in fact from any light sources in the proximity of the VELA satellite." They also found no collateral signs of a nuclear event. The panel eventually reported in July 1980 that the flash was "probably not from a nuclear explosion," suggesting it might have been a "zoo event" (a signal of unknown cause), possibly a meteoroid impact.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 20.