I do not know any fusion scientist who has devoted years in graduate school and more years in research intending to mislead or defraud anybody. I assume fusion scientists all have the best of intentions.
They long ago recognized the shortsightedness of a civilization built on the tenuous foundation of finite fossil fuels. They understood the environmental consequences of burning those fuels.
They knew that the Utopian dream of controlled nuclear fusion on Earth was a long shot. One of the holy grails of science, fusion was a noble quest, and they wanted to try their best.
Yet, somewhere along the road to fusion, many of the fusion scientists — specifically those in the public spotlight — lost their way. They forgot what it means to be a scientist: show your data, explain your assumptions, define your terms.
Walk Before You Run
A baby cannot be expected to go directly from crawling to running without the intermediate accomplishment of walking. Likewise, experimental fusion reactors cannot be expected to go directly from their current state to the demonstration of reactor net power, not even for a second.
A required intermediate step is the plasma — the superheated fuel in which the fusion reactions take place — achieving net power. Plasma net power, if it ever happens, would occur when the particles in the fusion plasma produce more thermal power than is used to heat the fuel. However, plasma net power does not account for any of the electrical power required to operate a...
Albany, NY (WRGB) — A Poughkeepsie man who previously went to federal prison for an insurance fraud scheme is now facing new federal charges after investigators say he ran a similar operation agai...