Scientists plan to ignite tiny man-made star

Scientists plan to ignite tiny man-made star

www.telegraph.co.uk

It is science’s star experiment: an attempt to create an artificial sun on earth — and provide an answer to the world’s impending energy shortage.

(visit the link for the full news article)

"While it has seemed an impossible goal for nearly 100 years, scientists now believe that they are on brink of cracking one of the biggest problems in physics by harnessing the power of nuclear fusion, the reaction that burns at the heart of the sun."

It will be great if it actually worked and we had a new energy source, but if it doesn't work and something goes wrong, we would probably all be toast.

100 million degrees Celsius and pressures billions of times higher than those found anywhere else on earth, in a state that has constant fire problems and a lack of emergency personnel due to budget cuts.... what could possibly go wrong?

www.telegraph.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

what could happen if it does work, then gets out of hand somehow?

Originally posted by MetalHead66
what could happen if it does work, then gets out of hand somehow?

There isn't a big threat of a "Run away affect" happening. Fusion fuses lighter elements into heavier ones, the much bigger problem is having enough fuel to sustain the reaction long enough to get a net production of energy. Artificial fusion reactions are nothing new, it's just that they have all required so much energy input relative to the energy we've put in that they aren't used for energy powering.

this is like the 4th time this subject has been posted in the past 2 hrs.
here's the original thread.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

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Ever seen SpiderMan 2... There is just a snippet of what COULD go wrong, super heroes aside.

Good idea, I say.
Nuclear energy is one very viable means of ending the fossil fuel wars. One way or another

PS: I, for one, don't take such a defeatist attitude when it comes to science. For instance, I'm glad the Wright brothers decided to go ahead and try manned flight, when everyone was telling them "but you could fall to your death."

Yeah, these things COULD happen, but then again, I COULD crap a purple dinosaur tomorrow morning. Good thing the scientists are paid good money to understand what COULD go wrong. Believe me, if you or I understand what COULD happen, the project managers have it covered.

[edit on 27-12-2008 by Jay-in-AR]

Originally posted by prevenge
this is like the 4th time this subject has been posted in the past 2 hrs.
here's the original thread.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

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Sorry I looked in the Breaking News section and did not see it.

reply to post by Jay-in-AR


But in the same note, that would only be one death. If something happens and it goes bad, it could cost the lives of more then just one.

Yes, but that isn't the point I was making. Sure, people can be afraid, but they are only fearing what they don't know themselves. The scientists working on this have spent their lives on it. They know pretty well the possible reprecussions.

This whole thing costing 1.2billion, the LHC costed around $5-7 billion yet only a small fraction of what governments spend on bailing out doomed businesses.

Imagine a world where we got together to make this a better place to live. I hear now that the bailout has costed 4 trillion dollars im sure with that much money we could of been living on mars now. Light speed travel conquered......

Imagine.

[edit on 27-12-2008 by dreab_boy]

Originally posted by Jay-in-AR
Yes, but that isn't the point I was making. Sure, people can be afraid, but they are only fearing what they don't know themselves. The scientists working on this have spent their lives on it. They know pretty well the possible reprecussions.

Sure, but just because they spent their lives on it, doesn`t make it a safe thing to do. But hey, if it does go bad, take some pictures of those purple dinosaurs and post them, we`ve never seen anything like that.

Why does this sound like the makings of a bad sci-fi movie where eveything is supposed to be ok and safe then when something goes wrong bam

The third planet, a small brown planet orbits the solar system of Sol which scientist believed at one time supported life.



[edit on 27-12-2008 by SLAYER69]

What are the implications of fusion (or fission for that matter) on the concept of entanglement?

Also, how big will the energy released actually equate to, and is it really wise to conduct such experiments on top of the san andreas fault?!