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Fuck yeah, Science!


The Department of Energy plans to announce Tuesday that scientists have been able for the first time to produce a fusion reaction that creates a net energy gain — a major milestone in the decades-long, multibillion dollar quest to develop a technology that provides unlimited, cheap, clean power.

The aim of fusion research is to replicate the nuclear reaction through which energy is created on the sun. It is a “holy grail” of carbon-free power that scientists have been chasing since the 1950s. It is still at least a decade — maybe decades — away from commercial use, but the latest development is likely to be touted by the Biden administration as an affirmation of a massive investment by the government over the years.
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“There is going to be great pride that this is something that happened in the United States,” said David Edelman, who leads policy and global affairs at TAE, a large private fusion energy company. “This is a very important milestone on the road toward fusion energy.”

It comes as the Biden administration is prioritizing fusion energy research in its climate and energy agenda. The projects are among the front of the line for the tens of billions of dollars in subsidies and grants authorized through the major climate package Biden signed over the summer, called the Inflation Reduction Act.
Over the past several decades, the United States, Russia and various European nations have allocated billions in government dollars trying to master the science, believing that if they could, it would be a boon for the world.
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meh, mega power corps will get the licenses to build/maintain reactors and we'll all be paying the same
 
Dick Tracy was exploring fusion over 30 years ago.

www.deseret.com

DICK TRACY WAS AHEAD OF HIS TIME ON FUSION

In all the hoopla over low-temperature nuclear fusion, I recalled that Dick Tracy had already been here.<br> That wouldn't be unusual, of course. Dick Tracy, the lantern-jawed law enforcement hero of the comic strip that runs in hundreds of daily newspapers, has always been a little ahead of the…
www.deseret.com www.deseret.com
 
Today is the launch anniversary of the New Horizons space craft (my avatar) January 19, 2006. We got amazing pictures and 50 GB of scientific data of Pluto and its moon Charon from the flyby in July 2015. Then 2019 New Year's party with Kuiper Belt object "Arrakoth." Again, we have pictures.

New Horizon is now in extended mission phase 2. Exploring the outer Kuiper Belt. There is enough maneuvering fuel remaining to make a close visit of one more Kuiper Belt object. All instruments are fully functional. There is enough power from the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator to power the data gathering instruments to about 2050.

New Horizons is now the second furthest man-made object from.the sun. Only Voyager is farther away.
 
Birdman is going to be pissed. SpaceX/Elon fanboys are calling this a success because it was expected to explode (which makes you wonder why they didn't say that in advance)?

 
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