Senate Votes to Shut Down Laser Meant for Fusion Study

NY Times ^ | July 2, 2005 | WILLIAM J. BROAD

[Banjoguy]

Sorry!

That should have been:

http://plasma-gate.weizmann.ac.il/ZP/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z-Pinch

[HiTech RedNeck]

Is this about perfecting the engineering of a process proven in theory, or is this about woodshed experimentation?

[Vis Numar]

Let France pour money down a hole for 40 years if it wants.

Speaking of money holes, what's IRaq at now, gotta be over $200 B's down that mideast rathole by now (I know, I know, sacred cow...).

The amount of energy independence that amount could buy is staggering.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Stomping on Al Qaeda to the point they fear to cross us is worth it, when the alternative is vastly worse.

[Banjoguy]

My understanding is that all the experimentel approaches to the production of fusion, (there have been others such as Plasma confinement in a diode configuration,) attempt to reproduce in the lab what is already being accomplished in nature.

Theories abound and one needs to configure an experiment with the most promising outcome, try it and then, such as in all experimental lab work, make changes which get you closer to the expected outcome.

But as you probably know the process does not always cooperate. The diode approached was abandoned several years ago in favor of z-pinch.

http://physicsweb.org/articles/world/17/5/6

[Banjoguy]

One more good reference:

http://www.sandia.gov/capabilities/pulsed-power/hedicf/ionsource/

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

3.5 billion, and they canned it, but Bush's despicable $15 billion down the African rathole of murderous billionaire tyrants?

How much has Iraq cost thus far? About $200 billion and rising right? And medicare wasnt that to the tune of about $500 billion.

Squiblling about the 3.5 or 15 compared to those numbers makes you appear outright stingy.

[Moonman62]

IMHO, one of the great scientific blunders of the 20th century. Fortunately we were able to get the Gravity Probe-B off the ground. That was a close call.

Gravity Probe B is one of the longest running government projects ever, going back almost to the beginning of NASA. What do you think the measurements will show? I don't think there'll be any surprises as frame dragging has already been measured, I believe by observing a pulsar.

That said, scientists need to learn how to build projects in multiple congressional districts with influential representatives.

[Lazamataz]

Is Domenici losing his marbles?

Did he ever have any?

[traviskicks]

Why are people complaining that government is cutting the budget? Government has no business funding research. We waste billions each year on all this garbadge.

[RadioAstronomer]

Government has no business funding research.

IMHO, basic research is vital to our national defense. That is exactly the kind of stuff our government should be funding.

[EQAndyBuzz]

"This sounds like raw, jealous political wrangling at its worst. Crazy Pete needs to step back and stop acting like someone's spurned lover."

Hmm.. Boxer and Feinstein eh? Wonder what the tradeoff will be to allow this to complete.

[bill1952]

Yeah.

We should have used that approach for NASA. Who needs all that space anyway?
Yes, raise the french flag on the moon!

This fusion project isn't going to die, and we will continue with it.

If you all are waiting for the international community to succeed in this, don't hold your breath.

The US technology is going in a different ways, and the project in france will probably be sucking up billions long after there is no oil left in the world.

[bill1952]

Which would have never happened.

It all would have gone to leftist welfare, social engineering, and energy and research would be exactly as before, with the possible exception of stem cell and aids research..

[bill1952]

Look at the sun.

[bill1952]

Yeah, what the h*ll was that stupid Manhatten project about anyway?

[traviskicks]

Yeah, what the h*ll was that stupid Manhatten project about anyway?
---

I'm talking about non-military research.

[Thermalseeker]

It seems that there are those at high levels who are more interested in maintaining the un-maintainable status quo than in positive change.

Yep. Another case of "follow the money".......

[mvpel]

The poster who observed that $2.8 billion could have had a working fission reactor online and producing enormous amounts of badly-needed electrical energy by now has a very cogent point.

In a breeder fuel cycle, there is enough uranium on Earth alone to supply the entire Earth's population with US standards of electricity consumption until the sun burns out. Fission? Why bother?

[bitt]

'So they are flushing 2.8 billion??? Why? Lemme guess, they want to spend the money to force some emission nonsense?'

maybe so we can send all those billions to the starving people in RWanda...oh, wait, there aren't any people left in Rwanda....
Live8, "We are the World", etc...just more money for the african strongmen locals/UN to steal...

we need an update of the Tsunami aid...but don't send Carter or Clinton, cuz they'll take their cuts, too...