Meaning of 'made them out to be'
It means "represented them as":
MichelsonMorley experiments weren't the failure MIT [represented them as] ...
To "make something out to be" something else is to portray it in a certain light. If my comments make you out to be a great guy that means I am saying good things about you. If they make you out to be a jerk that means I'm not being so complimentary.