2014
The mission –
2nd attempt
On February 11, Jean-Pierre Houdin gives another lecture in Rocquencourt for the association of Madeleine Peters Destéract, an Egyptologist who has supported the theory for many years. On May 22, he meets Egyptologist Pierre Tallet, who has been leading a mission for over 15 years to the site of Ouadi El-Jarf, better known as the Harbor of Khufu. He has uncovered numerous papyri and, although there is no mention of a construction method, he has been able to decipher some interesting information on site supply that is entirely consistent with the theory.
Following an exchange of e-mails, on March 10 Dr. Hiroyuki Tanaka informs Jean-Pierre Houdin of a forthcoming contact from Japanese television NHK, which had made a documentary on the theory in 2009. With NHK due to celebrate its 90th birthday in 2015, and the channel's scientific department keen to make a new documentary on the pyramids of Egypt, it is in discussion with Dr Tanaka about a possible mission to Khufu’s Pyramid using muon radiography. Dr. Tanaka tells NHK representatives that he will soon be using this technique in collaboration with Jean-Pierre Houdin and Dassault Systèmes.
On March 24, Jean-Pierre Houdin meets Toshihide Yabuki, Koichi Jo and Mutsumi Funato from NHK in Paris.
On March 26, a second meeting takes place at Dassault Systèmes, with the Khufu team and Hany Helal. Mr Yabuki and Mr Jo give a long presentation of the NHK project: the scientific part would be carried out under the direction of Dr Tanaka, in collaboration with the universities of Tokyo and Nagoya and KEK, the Japanese equivalent of the French CEA. Following this meeting, several simulations of the different muon radiography techniques proposed by the Japanese will be carried out.
At the beginning of July, Mehdi Tayoubi and Jean-Pierre Houdin travel to Quebec City to meet the Laval University infrared team. The dossier is practically ready, and it is decided to integrate Jean-Claude Barré, as a guest expert, into the university team, given his extensive experience in the field. During the summer, the Japanese team carried out various simulations on digital models of the Khafre and Menkaure pyramids; after 100 days, the best results are obtained with the Nagoya University equipment, i.e. small "sensitive plates". In the case of Khufu’s Pyramid, the exposure time required to detect voids would be around 5 to 6 months.
Unfortunately, for scheduling reasons, Dr Tanaka is no longer able to take part in the mission.
At the end of September, Hany Helal receives 2 presentation files, one for infrared and one for muon radiography. Thanks to these files and his very effective action in Cairo, the mission project is now attracting a great deal of interest from the Egyptian authorities. The Minister of Antiquities, Dr. Eldamaty, agreed in principle to submit an official request.
On September 21, at the invitation of the town hall and as part of the European Heritage Days, Jean-Pierre Houdin gives a talk at the "Cité de l'Or - Pyramide des Arts" in Saint-Amand-Montrond (Cher).
On October 18, at the invitation of Mark Buttler, President of the RE-ARC (Reconstructive and Experimental Archaeology organization), Jean-Pierre Houdin gives a 2-part lecture on his work on Khufu’s Pyramid at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia (Charlotte), North Carolina.
On October 25, Henri Houdin, "Father" of the internal ramp theory, co-founder and Honorary President of the ACGP passes away suddenly at the age of ninety-one. Without him, nothing would have happened, quite simply. Unfortunately, the slowness and obstacles placed in the path of knowledge about the construction of the pyramids by the proponents of the "Pensée Unique" and those in power, Dr. Hawass first and foremost, will not have allowed him to "follow" a scientific mission in the field for which he had given so much energy and time. History may well prove him right.
Henri HOUDIN
3 mai 1923 / 25 octobre 2014