Fusion Reactor Breaks Even 429
mysqlbytes writes "The BBC is reporting the National Ignition Facility (NIF), based at Livermore in California, has succeeded in breaking even — 'During an experiment in late September, the amount of energy released through the fusion reaction exceeded the amount of energy being absorbed by the fuel — the first time this had been achieved at any fusion facility in the world.'"
practical uses plzkthx (Score:5, Funny)
Mr Fusion (Score:5, Funny)
Re:bbc? (Score:5, Funny)
why is the bbc first to report on this? It happens in CA, and we get scooped? wtf??
It's 5 to 8 hours later in England than it is here. They've had a few more hours to report on it than we have.
But what's this "break even"? If it produced more than it consumed, it's not "break even".
Re:first time at any facility? (Score:5, Funny)
define facility, because fusion is known to release energy with great facility.
Here [wikipedia.org] is a picture that looks to me very much like a facility.
It achieved a net fusion output about 100X as much as the energy input. (This facility did have the drawback that it was vaporized within a few microseconds after startup, but that's just a cooling issue.)
Re:Here's the real story (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Helium? (Score:5, Funny)
Yep, all you need is a 5 billion dollar fusion reactor to make a couple of bucks of helium.
Re:bbc? (Score:5, Funny)
Here in Australia we got today's news about the NIF reactor yesterday.
Re:Here's the real story (Score:4, Funny)
Your research and discoveries mean nothing of the commies take it from you.
er terrorists. I meant if the terrorists take it from you.
Re:bbc? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:bbc? (Score:5, Funny)
>They are clearly biased, superficial, and quality is clearly not a goal.
News for clowns by clowns. To make sure that clowns are elected to our legislature, to threaten the world economy by screwing with the dollar and the US credit rating, of which bonds are used as backing for other securities.
Because on party can't un-twist its panties about healthcare.
Warning: Begin rant:
The instant that mortgage-backed-securities were no longer AAA "same as cash" rated, Bear Stearns disappeared in a sea of red ink and the rest of the economy with it, affecting banks worldwide that used these "cash equivalents". The US defaulting on its debt is like that but worse. Threatening to tank our economy like that would be an act of war if it was done by a foreign country. And it will take Brazil's with it.
End rant.
--
BMO
Re:bbc? (Score:5, Funny)
Three words: "Miley Cyrus twerked."
Google Trends search term popularity. [google.com]
Achieving fusion break-even just when a skinny white girl learns to twerk is just wrong place, wrong time, baby.
Re:Here's the real story (Score:4, Funny)
Vulcanized rubber
Spock's birth control?
Re:bbc? (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, it's that hole in the ground.
Actually that's their after-their-first-lab-test photo.