Anonymously contributed:
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Article About NIF Woes in Science Magazine:
Ignition Facility Misses Goal, Ponders New Course
Science, Vol 337, 21 September 2012 Issue, Published by AAAS
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It includes some very well done photos of the facility.
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Excerpts:
The National Ignition Facility (NIF), a $3.5 billion laser fusion lab in California, looks certain to miss its deadline at the end
of this month for achieving ignition...
By law, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), part of the U.S. Department of Energy, has until 60 days after the deadline to produce a report explaining what barriers to ignition remain, how they can be overcome, and what implications there are for the stockpile...
Managers at Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory, the home of NIF, are playing down the significance of the end of the National Ignition Campaign (NIC)...
... Others view the missed deadline differently. “It’s going to be a big deal here,” says a congressional aide who asked to remain anonymous.
Comments
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/337/6101/1444.summary?sid=e69f717d-946e-425f-9afc-13e2a6ad2059
http://www.sandia.gov/media/z290.htm
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Another dramatic climb toward fusion conditions for Sandia Z accelerator
Z's output has achieved three of four milestones; fourth reachable
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories' Z machine -- the former dark horse among accelerators meant to produce conditions required for nuclear fusion -- have increased the machine's X-ray power output by nearly 10 times in the last two years....
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Unlike the sleazy, unethical managers at LLNL, the people at Sandia didn't have to lie to further their project.
Nah, forget about it. It just wouldn't be "the LANL way".
Sandia has its act together, though it could easily tip quickly if arrogance and hubris grabs hold and causes problems (big ones) like those it has seen in the past.
It's about time to take out the trash.
Everyone except management.
You don't even know anything but keep flapping your lips. Just because the codes are giving problems, you people think that you're oh so smart in your criticisms. Even Cook blames the codes you uninformed malcontent.
September 22, 2012 6:01 PM
No, DOE/NNSA is blinded by the NIF scientists' hubris.
September 21, 2012 12:50 PM
Yeah they (Sandia) move them to NNSA (i.e. Dr. Don Cook) where they can tell bigger lies. Ouch!
September 23, 2012 4:15 PM
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Funny you should mention that. I've begun to sense that this may finally be coming.
With the growing budget crunch, it's going to be harder and harder to justify funding two nuclear weapon design labs. One of them will likely go on the chopping block.
Hard to say which one, but it seems as if the political delegation in California is far more effective than the current delegation from New Mexico. LANL lost a huge supporter with lots of political power when St. Pete left the Senate. I would bet on LANL taking the fall. Back in the early 1980s, no one would have believed that Rocky Flats might someday be shut down.... but it was, nevertheless!
One thing is that Bechtel could make a lot of money with closing operations. It will take 5-10 years to bulldoze and clean up everything and that is "long term vision" in terms of "corporate capture" $$$ baby. LANLS may push for this. The US cannot afford the labs anymore.
September 26, 2012 2:25 AM
September 27, 2012 3:44 AM
It's sad to think that the only soul who gives a shit about LLNL about to miss their ignition goal is this poor bastard counting the days. Sad state of affairs at LLNL.
LLNL has 3-days to achieve ignition and counting......
September 26, 2012 2:25 AM"
I may have my doubts about NIF but I have no doubt that you are a POFS. I guess sometimes bitterness is all one has to cling to but if that is the case than what is the point.
And jettison Moses
Time to change the name before angry Congressmen find out they've been fooled. Perhaps it can be used to burn up old, rotten US currency for the Treasury.
Burning up money.... that would be a fitting end to this expensive, vastly oversold money-pit called NIF!
But the bottom line is, if you think achieving ignition at NIF will be fantastic, just imagine what its gonna be like to reach ignition 10 times per second at LIFE, in a couple of years from now. That is a party nobody will want to miss.
So what does that tell you about the management's ability to manage technical risk? This is truly a failure of management, and heads really need to roll. It sounds like alot of people were sipping the coolaid, even NIF management... Shutting dissent and even abusing rules to do so... well the means are unethical but the end spoke for itself.