Not sure where you're seeing the hype. They make it pretty clear that all they have done is cleared the first hurdle. But they have been trying to clear that hurdle for around 70 years, so this is a pretty big deal. You will never get to the final step until after you take first step.
Fusion.
- Thread starter hank4elk
- Start date
David58
Well-known member
Laughing because I bet I know where you work.......
The hype is that it was splashed all over the news for a few days, and sold as a much bigger deal than it really is. I eagerly clicked on the link hoping this was something new, only to find the same crap NIF has been peddling for a decade or more, just showing a modest advancement in yield. They are so far away from true breakeven when you do a true accounting of all energy inputs it's depressing. Then there's the whole issue of efficiently capturing the nuclear yield.
My most optimistic view: This is a very long term research project that might lead to something interesting in 50+ years.
My cynical view: This is a multi-decade multi-billion dollar boondoggle make work project, but that's nothing unusual for a DOE laboratory.
Worked, now retired.
That's debatable, bullets are real.I came here thinking it was a thread about Federal bullets....
The actual reason is more important though
Trailsend
Active member
They tried for hundreds of years to build an airplane. Once, they cleared the initial hurdle of flight things moved along rapidly. I will concede they probably weren’t dealing with the same level of govt oversight!
I understand the sentiment, I spent most of my career doing long term research.
But the analogy to flight is just not a good one. This "machine" is still so far from "flight" that the milestone/hurdle reported is almost meaningless.
Trailsend
Active member
I get it, you could say the same thing about the advancement in genetics once they discovered DNA. My main point, maybe not clearly stated, is that at times once a hurdle is jumped things start progressing more rapidly.
I know they had pretty much given up on the idea of fusion as the fix all of the energy crisis. My sister was dating a guy who was going for his doctorate in physics with the idea of being a pioneer in the fusion game. He was informed that if he continued on that course he would never find a job. So he changed direction. I know he got his doctorate, but I don't know what he specialized in because my sister dumped him before then.
You are correct if the hurdle involved some new discovery, (DNA is a great example) or revolutionary improvement in the technology. But in this case it looks like they just made a rather incremental improvement in what they had been doing.
David58
Well-known member
Probably a wise move, unless his name was Elon Musk.
Knight.54
Well-known member
I thought we were gonna talk about First Lite camo!
