schnazzychase t1_jacow6y wrote on February 28, 2023 at 2:19 PM

Reply to comment by rksd in The Case for Callisto by MoreGull

There actually have been successful experiments in fusion that result in a net gain. The news just doesn't talk about it.

spacetimeguy t1_jacs8y0 wrote on February 28, 2023 at 2:43 PM

Sorry, I can't let this go unchallenged.

The "news" reports on net-gain fusion all the time.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/nuclear-fusion-breakthrough-energy

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/nuclear-fusion-reaction-us-announcement-12-13-22/index.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60312633

https://www.forbes.com/sites/qai/2022/12/14/nuclear-fusion-breakthrough-the-future-of-clean-limitless-energy/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nuclear-fusion-60-minutes-2023-01-15/

What they don't report is that it's a false measure based on the energy of ignition while ignoring the energy of containment. Here's the best video I know of to explain it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ4W1g-6JiY

rksd t1_jad7x4c wrote on February 28, 2023 at 4:28 PM

I'm aware which is why I used the word "practical". When we have a city of say, a million people getting most of their power from a fusion reactor then I might get chubby about the prospect of us operating a fusion reactor the better part of a billion kilometers from here.