Inside fusion's fortress

Des Emery, St. Thomas, ON, Canada — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 04:13:29 GMT

Hi, Alan -- Even Science has become beholden to Politics. While one can't blame a government - like Europe's and Japan's - for desiring the prestige of hosting a special project, ITER, more's the pity the benefits of such a project have to be affected by that decision, or rather, indecision. National pride is no more to be admired than the personal kind of pride, which Shakespeare knew 'o'er leaps itself, and falls on t'other side.' Will that attitude prevent us from conquering Global Warming in time to save us all?

Inside fusion's fortress

C Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 06:48:11 GMT

Hey now just wait a minute... Where is the home video of the castle? I LOVE CASTLES! Don't even get me started on the hold up over where to build the thing. I knew it was long but would have only guessed two years not three. Ug... Yeah, like we have all the time in the world just to figure that out. We have to remember that the damn thing was ready to be built in something like 1995 but then was forced back to the drawing table for a less ambitious goal once congress saw the cost. Then Japan and Russia went through a recession, which delayed it another four years or so... I very much respect Europe for wanting to be the place for everything like that however. They really push the envelope on science as I think they see the loop and payback of high technology and high tech jobs and how it benefits them overall. Every member of ESA and other such organizations clamor for a piece of the action and the fact that individual investment pays off in a proportional amount of the work load makes giving more and more equally rewarding. Think about it. Few states even care about NASA but if each of them had a stake in the game I’d bet they’d all be trying to land more and more jobs in their state by pressing for more and more ambitious projects.

With all the delays I think a side issue to note is just how delicate our sciences really are. I have to wonder how long it would take for an entire branch of science as complicated as this to just up and die when people are forced to find other jobs and forget what they once knew. The people who have designed ITER probably are long gone into other fields by now. By the time they call for the next follow on design for ITER it will be like trying to re-hire the engineers who designed Apollo. These people have committed their entire life to their work and if given adequate funding could have kept thinking about better and better designs in the mean time.

I'm personally leaning towards extremely deep geothermal which they say can provide 100,000 times the current energy the entire earth uses presently. I have been a long time advocate of Fusion however and think it is well worth the effort. Helium three from the moon could increase the power output of fusion while lowering the amount of low level radioactivity it generates. Not only will full construction take until 2016, from what I remember of the timeline, it will take some five years after that to bring it up to full power if I'm not mistaken. Personally, when people start to realize just how bad things have become with global warming, I think ITER will be side stepped by much more ambitious commercial-quality reactors long before ITER is even completed.

I heard that area of France was earthquake prone but that they would compensate for that in the design.

Inside fusion's fortress

John Doe — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 13:22:46 GMT

Even on Stargate it was all hidden and not shared with the world until the 2nd stargate was discovered in Russia and only then were the Russians invited in and they wanted to run it all at that point.

Inside fusion's fortress

Oliver Wilson, Orlando, FL — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:15:06 GMT

It never ceases to amaze be how we can blow close to a trillion dollars in a futile war and yet spend so little on a technology that promises virtually limitless cheap energy. Maybe politicians will wake up to just how much protecting our oil interests is costing us.

Inside fusion's fortress

red pill junkie, Mexico city — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:25:44 GMT

Well, it seems acommodations for scientists have come a long way since the wooden shacks of Los Alamos!

Well it's fine by me, after all these people are trying to solve some of the most difficult problems Humanity face, they have all the right to be pampered with good wine and food to help keep their head wheels spinning.

Then again, Einstein developed his special relativity theory while working in a lousy office in Switzerland... althought the big Eureka moment seemed to have come while strolling the beautiful italian countryside when he was a teenager and was cast out of school.

Inside fusion's fortress

Dave - Harrisburg PA — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:39:11 GMT

I would agree with the angst in spending trillions on war over mere millions on fusion but fusion will never be 'cheap' energy. All those dollars spend for R&D, development and operational maintenance must be passed on to the consumer. Nuclear fission energy is not cheap and fusion energy won't be either. Fusion's appeal is in the freedom from oil dependence; limited enviornmental impact and virtual limitless source of fuel - hydrogen - which is not free either but available in abundance from anywhere). We're not likely to see any hydrogen cartel anytime soon.

Inside fusion's fortress

Patrick Bishop — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 04:25:17 GMT

Isn't the whole point of building a fusor just to boil water? Boil the water, spin the turbines, drive the generators... Surely we can find a more cost-effective way to boil water, yes?

Inside fusion's fortress

Ramon J. Sanchez,Los Angeles,Calif. — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:40:06 GMT

Ultimately, global warming comes from people useing their cars,dishwashers, etc. And the more people, the more global warming[China & India,for example!]

Inside fusion's fortress

Moral Hazard — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:01:21 GMT

More birth control for China and India the highest birthrate countries in the world. Maybe putting religion on the Incas and the Mayans was not such a great idea either. No birth control = global warming. Turning off the computer now!