Originally Posted by boondoggie
Not quite. Technically, an x-ray does not detect explosives. But it will show the anomalies that would lead to a closer inspection that would then show the explosives. Here's an
article that explains it:
I guarantee I can create an explosive-laden shoe that the x-ray will not detect. The ETD or ETP, however might.
Originally Posted by Comrade Kip Hawley
"Our highly trained transportation security officers can see if a shoe has been tampered with when they view it on the X-ray machine," Hawley said.
Really? Is that why your so-called highly paid drones keep failing red team tests? Your guys put up a goose egg, 0 for 21 on a recent test. Why do you keep lying to people?
Again from the article: Richard Lanza, senior research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said the X-ray image doesn't identify what a gel or a liquid is made of. However, he said, screeners can "look at the image and connect regions that look the same in density and shape."
It's not a foolproof method, but it is often effective, he said.
"Nothing is 100 percent," Lanza said. "But if the bad guys think you have a good shot at discovering it, they'll do something different."
I'll be happy to prove that it's not rocket science to assemble a shoe with explosives of similar density to shoe components that will not raise an eyebrow on the x-ray.
More to the point, the Shoe Carnival makes the absolutely stupid supposition that shoes are the only places explosives are hidden. This harassment will not detect bombs in body cavities or undergarments where the ETD/ETP might and often will.
Originally Posted by boondoggie
Luckily the TSA seems to be listening to senior research scientists from MIT rather than people spouting off on FlyerTalk.
Lucky for whom? Filthy communists like Comrade Hawley who need to keep milking a paycheck out of the taxpayers? Terrorists like Bin Laden who now have their jobs done for them by shoe pervert administrator hacks in the TSA?
Tests have shown repeatedly that it is easy to smuggle explosives past the checkpoint and the reason for that is because imbeciles like Comrade Hawley rely on the lukewarm opinion of one guy from MIT when there are people on FlyerTalk who can design any of the machines found at the checkpoint and know exactly what they are and are not capable of. These same people also have an intimate knowledge of material science and can fabricate materials that will not show up differently under the x-ray and don't even have to be placed in shoes to get by the checkpoint because there's no real explosives detection taking place anyway.
Let me know when you want to have a real discussion on engineering and material science instead of a news reading, TSA-sucking up contest. I'll be happy to explain anything you'd like to know.