663
China’s ‘artificial sun’ breaks nuclear fusion limit thought to be impossible (www.the-independent.com)
submitted 7 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
205 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 7 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Fusion is possible. It just needs 20 years of research first.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
    •
  • [–] 6 points 7 months ago

    Fusion was achieved decades ago. But right now it takes more energy than it produces. The theoretical possibility of energy-positive reaction is more or less established. The problem right now is engineering and a little bit of material science. And when (and if) it will be solved there will be whole another set of economical problems, how to make it a commercial product.
    All of that hinges less on science and more on whatever intersection of politics, economics, and psychology occupies this space. It was always 15 years away, and it was always correct estimation, it's just it's supposed to be 15 years of founded research and development, not 15 years of begging for funding, trying to navigate political situation, and restarting everything from scratch because previous two were unsuccessful

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 0 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    That is what they said. Twenty years ago.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [–] 4 points 7 months ago (1 child)
  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago* (1 child)

    Yes, because the argument was never "we'll have fusion in 20 years", it's always been "we COULD have fusion in 20 years IF research was properly funded". It's never been properly funded, hence it's always 20 years away.

    It's a bit like my boss coming to ask me how long it would take to do project X. I tell him 6 months after we get funding. We don't get funding. 6 months later he comes and asks me how long it would take to do project X. I tell him 6 months after we get funding. Queue shocked Pikachu face that the estimate is still 6 months, 6 months later.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •