From: Walter Hicks (wallyshoes@mindspring.com)
Date: Thu Sep 05 2002 - 13:55:33 EDT
"Terry M. Gray" wrote:
> Glenn,
>
> Ian Hutchinson, a prominent fusion researcher at MIT, gave one of the
> keynote lectures at the ASA meeting at Pepperdine. Hopefully, we'll
> have the audio up soon. During the Q&A time someone asked about the
> relative national priority concering the human genome project
> (Francis Collins had just spoken earlier that day) and what might be
> the consequences if fusion became as high a priority.
>
> Hutchinson didn't hesitate to suggest that fusion research does not
> have the priority that it could/should have and that more progress
> could be made if it were a higher priority.
>
> That's about how much I know about the subject, but it was
> interesting to hear it from an insider. Maybe this helps on the
> dispute between you and Walter.
Thanks Terry. I had wanted to hear Ian but I had a conflict.
Back in 1970, I was an "insider" for a brief period of time. It had been my
"dream" to participate in the US program to develop a fusion reactor. However
there was no such program then and there is no such program now. Instead there
were (and are) a number rather highly funded science projects. The
problem (IMO)
has never been money, but rather a lack of priority and focus. That was true in
1970 and is still true today. One can review the so-called "program" at
http://wwwofe.er.doe.gov/ It does not take a rocket scientist to see
that there
is no co-ordinated effort to produce a reactor -- just a group of studies to
"acquire a knowledge base".
The genome project was a clearly defined project with specific goals and an
organization (2) geared up to do that. They invented what was
necessary along the
way and kept focused on the goal.. That is how a "real" program is done.
Sorry Glenn & Terry but there still is no US program to develop a
fusion reactor.
Maybe someday ---- when the wells run dry.
Walt
===================================
Walt Hicks <wallyshoes@mindspring.com>
In any consistent theory, there must
exist true but not provable statements.
(Godel's Theorem)
You can only find the truth with logic
If you have already found the truth
without it. (G.K. Chesterton)
===================================
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