from Nature | Editorial
Archive
Volume 491
Issue 7423
But
during the past six years, expectations around the NIF have grown well
beyond that credible campaign. In many ways, the lab itself is to blame
for the unrealism. Lab officials gave tours to prominent politicians and
journalists in which they promised a lot more than just ignition. The
NIF, they claimed, was the first step on the road to potentially
unlimited fusion energy. In support of their dream, LLNL scientists
developed a prototype for an electricity-producing reactor that they
hoped would gain financing once ignition was achieved.
But
problems were mounting even as the lab eagerly promised clean, cheap
electricity. Outside reviewers noted that the hydrogen fuel was not
being compressed properly. The computer codes used to predict the
facility’s performance were themselves operating badly. Privately, most
people familiar with the programme had known for more than a year that
the NIF could not reach ignition in the time allowed. Yet the LLNL
stubbornly insisted that it might yet meet its goal. Enthusiasm gave way
to saving face, as the leadership struggled to hold the line and keep
up the appearance that all was going well.
The size and cost of
the NIF make it an easy target for criticism, but those working there
are hardly alone in their hubris. From stem cells to materials science,
researchers around the globe make daily headlines with bold claims about
what can be done in their fields. Politicians and the public, eager for
solutions to the world’s many problems, embrace their words. The
process is often healthy: scientists insert caveats, and citizens are
given a vague sense that things may not work out. But striking the
balance between enthusiasm and conservatism can be difficult. The NIF
reminds us that the line between optimism and overselling is a thin one
that can too easily be crossed.
Pride comes before a fall. Now the NIF has to find its feet all over again.
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