Welcome....to the machine

[Warped]

Visualized: inside the National Ignition Facility

The $3.5 billion National Ignition Facility may not have yet reached its "ignition" goal -- essentially, fusing the nuclei of hydrogen atoms and generating more energy than was required to start the initial reaction -- but it did recently complete its first integrated ignition experiment on September 29th, in which a capsule containing hydrogen fuel was briefly bombarded with 1 megajoule of energy from the 192 lasers in the test chamber. Impressive, to be sure, and a prime opportunity to take a look at just how impressive the facility itself is.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/08/visualized-inside-the-national-ignition-facility/

Click for some cool pics

Spoiler

This looks amazing and very high tech. also kinda scary how fast all this coming into play. I would love to see these hit the mainstream one day if they become even more efficient and cheap

 

[Stigmata]

There's something undeniably steampunk about that last photo. I quite like it.

Although I'm slowly getting more uncomfortable with how quickly the singularity is coming, now.

 

[Acepilotf14]

Can't wait for the second impact.

 

[VirusType2]

Wow, this looks like its from the late 1960s.

 

[Mr Stabby]

The taurus reactor at JET has already achieved a very short nuclear fusion reaction, so even if they get an reaction going doesn't mean it will be sustainable.

 

[Mogi67]

"Why build one, when you can have two for twice the price?"

 

[Warped]

The taurus reactor at JET has already achieved a very short nuclear fusion reaction, so even if they get an reaction going doesn't mean it will be sustainable.

yeah they have to find a way to capture and store the energy otherwise it all disappears. maybe they should do control bursts and i bet if they feed the energy back into the machine like an endless loop they'd finally would get somewhere.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJByrk_N_Lk

 

[Mr Stabby]

yeah they have to find a way to capture and store the energy otherwise it all disappears. maybe they should do control bursts and i bet if they feed the energy back into the machine like an endless loop they'd finally would get somewhere.

I'd imagine they would have to turn the machine off and cool it down, consider the hydrogen has to be frozen to be inertially confined.

 

[love_nutz2]

"Why build one, when you can have two for twice the price?"

John Hurt - Contact 1997

 

[Vegeta897]

There's something undeniably steampunk about that last photo. I quite like it.

I was literally about to say "doesn't look hi tech, looks steampunk" then I saw your post.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Sounds like the tech to capture the energy is something we should develop first.

 

[sixteenth]

I'm sure this will make quite an impact.

 

[love_nutz2]

Is it me, or does it look like the odyssey command module?

 

[Mogi67]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJByrk_N_Lk

AHHH YESSSS! The music in Ecco was awesome, those analog synths sound great

 

[Vegeta897]

analog synths

Analog synths in a gaming console?
Hahaa haha.
Don't throw around words of which you do not know the meaning.

 

[Insano]

Sounds like the tech to capture the energy is something we should develop first.

How do you mean? It's the heat that's released that's transformed into electricity, like at a nuclear fission reactor. The electricity produced should obviously be sent into the electrical network.

Or am I misunderstanding you?

 

[Mogi67]

Analog synths in a gaming console?
Hahaa haha.
Don't throw around words of which you do not know the meaning.

poor choice of words perhaps, but sound chips are technically synthesizers.

 

[Adabiviak]

The heat is usually used to heat water to become steam, which drives turbines, driving electric generators - converting heat directly to electricity isn't part of this, I believe. It's this kink (among others) that needs to be worked out, although in my opinion, that's the "easy" part.

 

[Vegeta897]

poor choice of words perhaps, but sound chips are technically synthesizers.

I was talking about the analog part.

Videogame systems use digital synthesis.

 

[Insano]

The heat is usually used to heat water to become steam, which drives turbines, driving electric generators - converting heat directly to electricity isn't part of this, I believe. It's this kink (among others) that needs to be worked out, although in my opinion, that's the "easy" part.

Yeah, that's obvious (Carnot cycle). I referred to the nuclear fission reactors, that work the same way.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

you sound a little pretentious, vegeta

way to pounce down his throat

 

[Vegeta897]

you sound a little pretentious, vegeta

way to pounce down his throat

You must not know me very well.

 

[Mogi67]

I was talking about the analog part.

Videogame systems use digital synthesis.

no, they don't. my sega genesis was made by bob moog.