The usage of alternative fuel sources is a special interest of mine, and I guess I have a special place for fusion...By all means, let's hold off on fusion research while we continue slogging along with pollution-producing hydrochemicals, destroying pristine environments with oil spills, and finding ourselves at the mercy of Opec and politically unstable oil-producing nations. I understand money's tight, and I know there's a lot of wasted spending. And I definitely understand we need more funds allocated for healthcare, education, urban renewal and other worthwhile goals. But as an e-mail I sent y'all last year stated, I think a critical issue for the whole human race is the need for more efficient and cleaner sources of energy. All these dire predictions of oil running out in the next few decades, global warming, etc. Whether you give them credence or not the truth remains that we can't maintain a thriving world by burning crap and poisoning our own air and water. Nuclear power never became the salvation we hoped it be, given all the problems, breakdowns, and potential for terrorists stealing the radioactive waste. We've dragged our feet for decades, never pushing viable alternatives like wind, fuel cell, even true solar power. All this time and the best we've come up with is hybrid cars that cost too much, don't get nearly the mileage they should, and are in my opinion years behind where they should have been in development. Is fusion the great hope I anticipated all those years ago when reading science and science fiction predictions of its promise? I don't know. But I do know that it has a great potential to move us from an oil and coal burning society into something better. And we'll never know unless we give this a serious shot. Typically our leaders wait until the situation is dire before backing what's seen as far-out or unworkable technology (hence the long delay in serious hybrid vehicles until gas prices skyrocketed and fear of treating with oil-rich nations drove Detroit to get interested). But this is a time when we need some major foresight and strength of character to look into something that may stave off a very bad future for us and our planet.
Besides, havent' these guys seen "Soylent Green"? http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1894&e=3&u=/ap/20050617/ap_on_ sc/super_laser Future Giant Laser Threatened by Cuts By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer Thu Jun 16, 9:08 PM ET WASHINGTON - A giant laser being built to simulate the explosion of a hydrogen bomb is facing funding cuts in the Senate that supporters say could kill the project after $2.8 billion has been spent on it. The device, which would focus 192 lasers at a single point to create a huge release of energy, is nearing completion at the Lawrence Livermore nuclear weapons lab in Northern California. But a spending plan for energy and water projects approved Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee would shut off further construction money for the project, leaving it with just the four laser beams now in place. Sen. Pete Domenici (news, bio, voting record), R-N.M., complained that ballooning costs on the project, called the National Ignition Facility, are a drain on other programs for maintaining the nation's nuclear arsenal. New Mexico is home to the nation's two other nuclear weapons labs, Sandia and Los Alamos. "NIF construction must wait until additional resources can be found to balance the needs between support of the stockpile and the single-minded desire to build NIF," said Domenici, who chairs both the Energy Committee and the Appropriations Committee's energy and water subcommittee. He contended that even with just four beams, the device remains the world's most powerful laser and "is capable of performing many useful experiments." The project is now scheduled for completion in 2009. Supporters said it's as good as dead because without more lasers it cannot reach fusion ignition - the hoped-for energy release. "The whole point is to achieve ignition. That's why it's called a National Ignition Facility," said Lawrence Livermore spokesman Bob Hirschfeld. Achieving fusion ignition would allow nuclear weapons scientists to study the performance and readiness of the country's aging nuclear arsenal without actually detonating a nuclear device. President Bush's 2006 budget proposal requested $141 million for NIF construction. The House agreed to that figure but the Senate Appropriations Committee eliminated it entirely Thursday, leaving a few funds for other program elements. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., said she hopes to get some of the money restored when House and Senate negotiators meet later in the year put together the final bill for sending to Bush. "The NIF is almost there. They've done all the experiments, they're almost there. It would be a total waste" to stop the program now, Feinstein said. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
