Can world's largest laser zap Earth's energy woes?

cnn ^ | April 28, 2010 | John D. Sutter

[JoeProBono]

Livermore, California (CNN) -- Scientists at a government lab here are trying to use the world's largest laser -- it's the size of three football fields -- to set off a nuclear reaction so intense that it will make a star bloom on the surface of the Earth.

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's formula for cooking up a sun on the ground may sound like it's stolen from the plot of an "Austin Powers" movie. But it's no Hollywood fantasy: The ambitious experiment will be tried for real, and for the first time, late this summer.

If they're successful, the scientists hope to solve the global energy crisis by harnessing the energy generated by the mini-star.

[GeronL]

Maybe the mini-black hole will swallow the man-made sun?

Then again it’d have to go through the planet.

[a fool in paradise]

We need a panel to investigate man-made global astronomy.

[JoeProBono]

[Snickering Hound]

[Slings and Arrows]

that 80’s movie with Val Kilmer where the house gets hit with the laser from an airplane and the house is full of popcorn kernels.....

That was "Real Genius."

[GeronL]

No wonder aliens are staying away... they probably know humans are nuts

[GQuagmire]

Thank you. Too lazy to Google...

[G Larry]

Funny....this was the Subject of my 1980 Master’s thesis:
“Fusion by laser implosion”, was the end state for U.S. energy independence by the year 2005......

[rightwingcrazy]

For the past 50 years, a practical fusion power plant has been ten years away, or so I’ve read. I’m so disappointed.

[Pontiac]

Better bring the “SEA VIEW” out of moth balls.

We’re going to need it after this thing ignites the atmosphere.

[rightwingcrazy]

That, and flying cars.

[Pontiac]

Thanks

I needed that.

[Slings and Arrows]

YW (even lazier...)

[Joe 6-pack]

"Don’t a lot of “end of the world” sci-fi movies start that way?"

Nope....but they end that way.

[calex59]

Question for those that know(if any): How hot does this thing get, miniature sun implies millions of degrees. How does one contain that type of heat. If it doesn't get that hot why are they using hyper BS such as "miniature sun" to describe it? Even so, does it get so hot it will melt anytime of containment vessel, can they cool it down, can they control it at all?

I realize those are questions they should have answered already but then again we are talking about scientist, some of whom believe in global warming.

[Slings and Arrows]

The Second Law of Thermodynamics isn’t at issue here - the laser will be used to start a self-sustaining nuclear fusion reaction, not as a source of power.

[ravingnutter]

[Tallguy]

What they don't tell you is that the “heat of the sun” lasts like a billionth of a second. The heat transfer would be manageable.

[Mikey_1962]

The containment of the resultant plasma is at issue and is subject to the second law of thermodynamics as are you and I.

[Reeses]

a self-sustaining nuclear fusion reaction

The dirty little secret they don't bring up is that fusion power generates radioactive waste too, just less of it. The volume of waste isn't really the problem with conventional nuclear power plants. A fusion plant doesn't just melt down, it goes nova.