Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Is Lockheed’s fusion project breaking new ground?
cosmosmagazine.com ^ | 19 hours ago

Posted on 10/27/2014 5:30:40 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

The defence company’s announcement that it is working on a fusion reactor that could fit on the back of a truck was greeted with surprise. It could change the future of the planet, but some are sceptical. Dan Clery reports.

A scientist works inside a fusion reactor. But frustration with the slow pace of big projects has led to small privately funded efforts to find a faster, cheaper process. Monty Rakusen/GettyImages

Lockheed Martin, the US defence company behind stealth aircraft, is known for working on futuristic projects. Even so, its announcement last week surprised many people. The company revealed it is working on a fusion reactor that it says could power a small city but will be compact enough to fit on the back of a truck. At a press conference last week, Lockheed team leader Tom McGuire talked about fusion-powered ships and even aircraft. “We have an idea that makes us very excited,” he said. Fusion researchers have reacted with some scepticism, especially to the claim that the reactor could be ready for commercial use in 10 years.


(Excerpt) Read more at cosmosmagazine.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Science
KEYWORDS: climatechange; energy; globalwarminghoax
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-40 next last

1 posted on 10/27/2014 5:30:40 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Coming from just about anyone else I would write this off as fantasy but the skunkworks has a long history of doing the impossible.


2 posted on 10/27/2014 5:34:22 PM PDT by cripplecreek (You can't half ass conservatism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All; Fred Nerks; Marine_Uncle; TigersEye; Tolerance Sucks Rocks; justa-hairyape; GeronL; ...
Author is —Dan Clery/
3 posted on 10/27/2014 5:34:47 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

I’ll be watching this. Lockheed is a little more reputable than most making such claims.


4 posted on 10/27/2014 5:35:36 PM PDT by Lurkina.n.Learnin (It's a shame nobama truly doesn't care about any of this. Our country, our future, he doesn't care)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"A scientist works inside a fusion reactor."

Aha! So THAT's how they did it.

5 posted on 10/27/2014 5:35:59 PM PDT by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

“Investigators at a major US research university recently discovered the heaviest element known to science. The element, tentatively named Congress, has no protons or electrons and thus has an atomic number of 0. However, it does have 1 neutron (president), 435 assistant neutrons (house), 100 vice neutrons (senate) and 17000 assistant vice neutrons (staffers), which gives it an atomic mass of 17536. These 17536 particles are held together by a force that involves the continuous exchange of meson- like particles called morons. It is also surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons (lobbyists).”


6 posted on 10/27/2014 5:36:20 PM PDT by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Looks interesting. Let’s see how they stop 2.4 MeV and 14 MeV neutrons in something that fits on a truck! Exciting times.


7 posted on 10/27/2014 5:38:49 PM PDT by DBrow
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cripplecreek
Right!

A frequent guest on CNBC mentioned this onCCNBC's Fast Monet toi today and says if this happens,...fossil fuel is dead ...Oil down to 10. dollars in the near futute.

8 posted on 10/27/2014 5:40:11 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: DBrow

9 posted on 10/27/2014 5:40:30 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Democrats have a lynch mob mentality. They always have.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

The financial analyst that drove down the Oil and Gas sector today said that the end of the oil era is coming, in part because of this Lockheed fusion announcement.

Another reason sign to stop reading, and start buying the RYE ETF.


10 posted on 10/27/2014 5:40:30 PM PDT by cicero2k
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cripplecreek

Wow! Yeah! Democrat presidential candidates are all drooling at the possibility to sell the technology to China for “campaign donations - wink wink”.


11 posted on 10/27/2014 5:54:32 PM PDT by FreeAtlanta (Liberty or Big Government - you can't have both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Why don’t they build a functioning fusion reactor of ANY size?

Then we can talk about the possibility of shrinking it.

Fusion power has been “20 years away” for at least 40 years, and probably more.


12 posted on 10/27/2014 6:03:48 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sherman Logan
Looks small to me:


13 posted on 10/27/2014 6:13:45 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Reminds me that Physicist Robert Bussard (of Bussard Ramjet fame) was working on a small fusion reactor project over 30 years ago. DOE got pressured to deny funding. Here’s the OMNI interview from 1981!
http://www.askmar.com/Robert%20Bussard/Omni%20Interview.pdf
If Lockheed can do it, a cheap energy economy could be a civilization changer.


14 posted on 10/27/2014 6:21:27 PM PDT by Bonneville (Truth...the new hate speech)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DBrow

They’ll use that really thick Reynolds Wrap, the kind you use for grilling.


15 posted on 10/27/2014 6:22:02 PM PDT by Axenolith (Government blows, and that which governs least, blows least...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Hey, they designed an even smaller fusion reactor for the Back to the Future movie. And it worked every bit as well as the Lockheed one. So far.

Just seems kind of stupid to me to talk about sizing when you haven’t even proven that the concept works.

If they can build the thing, I’ll be very happy, and I hope they get very rich. But so far this is about as proven as my design for the antigravity generator.


16 posted on 10/27/2014 6:31:15 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

I’ll take the bright red Mr Fusion, please.


17 posted on 10/27/2014 6:34:17 PM PDT by Da Coyote
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cripplecreek

Indeed. Lockheed does amazing things, to include satellites that are out of this world. Hehehe. The SR-71 is my favorite Lockheed accomplishment.


18 posted on 10/27/2014 6:57:26 PM PDT by Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: FreeAtlanta
Yup


19 posted on 10/27/2014 6:58:01 PM PDT by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

is this for real?
Lockheed seems more respectable than E-cat.
but not much.


20 posted on 10/27/2014 7:29:49 PM PDT by RockyTx
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-40 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson