Slashdot Mirror
Construction of French Fusion Reactor Underway
GarryFre writes "It has been said that fusion is 50 years away for quite a few decades, but now work has actually been started. Digging has begun in the south of France on the planned site for France's first fusion reactor. A tokomak is a torus shaped magnetic confinement device which is necessary to withstand the temperatures associated with fusion that are so high, solid materials can't hold them. As such, the building represents the future core of ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.) It will be interesting to see if it takes 50 years to build it."
Guess we can't go fusion now either, since that would entail imitating the cheese-eating surrender monkeys. :P)
(That was sarcasm...I hope.
I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.
LE DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, September 15, 2060
The country formerly known as France has successfully performed its first and last Fusion reaction.
If the the repulsive force of squabbling bureaucrats could be overcome using conference-room confinement, the resulting release of energy would power the world forever.
Design parameters for a fusion reactor:
1. Shielding: 10m of water or similar as well as magnetic shielding
2. Energy density 10kW/m2
3. Politics: Not in my backyard
Conclusion:
Sun
1. Atmosphere and earth magnetic field: perfect
2. perfect almost anywhere
3. 150 million km away: perfect
don't cut it off www.mgmbill.org
I can imagine the scientists and technocrats from: China, the EU, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the USA, sitting in a room pondering the question of where to put this new fusion reactor--the biggest and baddest one ever built.
China: "India is the best place..."
India: "Heck no, we reckon Russia is better..."
Russia: "Nyet... How about Texas..."
(room grows silent)
In unison: Lets put it in "France"
France (EU): "Thank you, this quite the compliment..."
Actually, it's not hyphenated.
The above AC is clearly lying about being a plasma physicist - he probably just read this book over the weekend and now understands everything. Literally.