The announcement this week of fusion ignition is a major scientific advancement, one that is decades in the making. More energy was produced than the laser energy used to spark the first controlled fusion triumph.
The result: replicating the fusion that powers the sun.
On Dec. 5, a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved the milestone. As noted by Kim Budil, director of the laboratory: “Crossing this threshold is the vision that has driven 60 years of dedicated pursuit — a continual process of learning, building, expanding knowledge and capability, and then finding ways to overcome the new challenges that emerged,” Budil said.
The nuclear fusion feat has broad implications, fueling hopes of clean, limitless energy. As for space exploration, one upshot from the landmark research is attaining the long-held dream of future rockets that are driven by fusion propulsion.
But is that prospect still a pipe dream or is it now deemed reachable? If so, how much of a future are we looking at?
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