tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post6186976026673330288..comments2024-03-28T22:32:26.220-07:00Comments on LLNL - The True Story -: Assessing progress on laser fusionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-55728650877445016022014-03-08T12:46:18.923-08:002014-03-08T12:46:18.923-08:00Religious fervor perhaps.Religious fervor perhaps.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-71621816788113990432014-03-08T10:46:24.630-08:002014-03-08T10:46:24.630-08:00It was pursued because a handful of smart, charism... It was pursued because a handful of smart, charismatic people said the right words and showed the right pictures and plots to the right people at the right time, consistently.<br /><br />March 8, 2014 at 9:07 AM<br /><br />Perhaps, but that "handful" did not do the work in spite of knowing it was futile and even against the national interest. How do all the rest of those "smart" people get off the hook?<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-5329209116457388112014-03-08T09:07:47.067-08:002014-03-08T09:07:47.067-08:00Just one question: Why spend many millions of doll...Just one question: Why spend many millions of dollars, and decades, and the efforts of some of the country's best scientists, pursuing a meaningless, dead-end goal?<br />March 7, 2014 at 9:09 AM<br /><br />It's many, many billions of dollars. It was pursued because a handful of smart, charismatic people said the right words and showed the right pictures and plots to the right people at the right time, consistently. Eventually the program was too big to kill, forcing DOE to double-down and double-down again despite early problems. That was Moses' real achievement, painting himself as having saved the whole effort from the incompetent 'brainiacs' and establishing the NIF as a cornerstone of the lab. That victory has proven to be pyrrhic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-44825970567249739822014-03-08T06:54:36.483-08:002014-03-08T06:54:36.483-08:00And now folks, here's a news flash from Mars:
...And now folks, here's a news flash from Mars:<br /><br />"Russia's posture was defensive from the start. There's no evidence they had any interest in world domination, and they developed nukes because we had them. There was no way they would ever be invaded again, after WWII. The whole cold war myth was a creation to benefit the military-industrial complex Eisenhower spoke frankly about in 1961.<br /> <br />March 7, 2014 at 10:16 PM"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-44500550874014188312014-03-07T22:16:44.648-08:002014-03-07T22:16:44.648-08:00Russia's posture was defensive from the start....Russia's posture was defensive from the start. There's no evidence they had any interest in world domination, and they developed nukes because we had them. There was no way they would ever be invaded again, after WWII. The whole cold war myth was a creation to benefit the military-industrial complex Eisenhower spoke frankly about in 1961.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-60426775404387046662014-03-07T22:04:51.498-08:002014-03-07T22:04:51.498-08:00""Weapons of mass destruction" have...""Weapons of mass destruction" have kept the world from having a WWIII. I guess you'd rather fight Russia's nukes with swords and crossbows? Luddite.<br /><br />March 7, 2014 at 7:19 PM"<br /><br />If we only had swords and crossbows the world would be safer place and no one would feel threatened by the United States. Sadly it is a only a dream. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-84680386621389176402014-03-07T19:19:48.461-08:002014-03-07T19:19:48.461-08:00The "cover story" was needed to bilk the...The "cover story" was needed to bilk the gullible tree hugging taxpayers out of the money for advancing weapons of mass destruction. And it worked, and is still working.<br /><br />March 7, 2014 at 5:04 PM<br /><br />"Weapons of mass destruction" have kept the world from having a WWIII. I guess you'd rather fight Russia's nukes with swords and crossbows? Luddite.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-49364377646341454162014-03-07T17:04:55.854-08:002014-03-07T17:04:55.854-08:00The "cover story" was needed to bilk the...The "cover story" was needed to bilk the gullible tree hugging taxpayers out of the money for advancing weapons of mass destruction. And it worked, and is still working.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-87089816021049351652014-03-07T10:15:20.585-08:002014-03-07T10:15:20.585-08:00Just a good cover story for NIFs real function -- ...Just a good cover story for NIFs real function -- nuclear weapon research.<br /><br />March 7, 2014 at 9:49 AM<br /><br />No "cover story" was ever needed. Everyone who understood anything about NIF knew that it was intended primarily for weapons research. Unfortunately, it turns out that NIF is a failure at both functions. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-30759714954919156892014-03-07T09:49:55.604-08:002014-03-07T09:49:55.604-08:00why indeed? Just a good cover story for NIFs real ...why indeed? Just a good cover story for NIFs real function -- nuclear weapon research.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-61312614017275728682014-03-07T09:09:02.658-08:002014-03-07T09:09:02.658-08:00So yes, ignition really is the goal, because there...So yes, ignition really is the goal, because there isn't anything after that.<br /><br />March 7, 2014 at 7:01 AM<br /><br />Just one question: Why spend many millions of dollars, and decades, and the efforts of some of the country's best scientists, pursuing a meaningless, dead-end goal?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-34874839645627792462014-03-07T07:01:42.690-08:002014-03-07T07:01:42.690-08:00Laser fusion is not a path to sustainable cheap en...Laser fusion is not a path to sustainable cheap energy production. It really never was, never mind the pipe dreams of LIFE and Ed Moses. And the "energy from seawater" blather about fusion in general is ridiculous, since you need tritium and that must be made in a reactor. D-D fusion is orders of magnitude harder than D-T fusion, which is already really really hard. So yes, ignition really is the goal, because there isn't anything after that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-57547605707533624852014-03-06T19:21:05.902-08:002014-03-06T19:21:05.902-08:00Doesn't matter; "Ignition" is not th...Doesn't matter; "Ignition" is not the goal. Sustainable cheap energy production is the goal. "Ignition" would only show that physics works if you have enough energy on target, and are smart enough to fix the "leaks." The goal would still be, as always, "50 years away."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-26561713777060044822014-03-06T15:56:17.433-08:002014-03-06T15:56:17.433-08:00DD, especially polar DD, was deemed higher-risk ba...DD, especially polar DD, was deemed higher-risk based on simulations. Might have been the wrong call, but hindsight is 20/20. There was also an element of designed-and-built-here. Seems certain that DD ignition attempts will also uncover unforseen problems, perhaps different ones, so it would be miraculous if that was an easy path to ignition.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-54726842759264163392014-03-06T14:49:39.467-08:002014-03-06T14:49:39.467-08:00Sounds like polar direct drive should have had hig...Sounds like polar direct drive should have had higher priority from the beginning over indirect drive. Why was the wrong decision made?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-39109711522867114032014-03-06T14:26:47.395-08:002014-03-06T14:26:47.395-08:00Ignition Plan B - Polar Direct Drive ! NIF has ple...Ignition Plan B - Polar Direct Drive ! NIF has plenty of UV energy and power for this, since the only real show stopper here is LPI backscatter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-68416288487234982652014-03-01T16:33:41.014-08:002014-03-01T16:33:41.014-08:00Wishful thinking that there will be any increases....Wishful thinking that there will be any increases. NIF has no significant support, and the fact that a (small) group of CA representatives felt compelled to send a letter to Obama begging for a reprieve suggest the axe is dangling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-53918970109362671362014-03-01T13:39:21.889-08:002014-03-01T13:39:21.889-08:00Wishful thinking to hope that NIF will disappear. ...Wishful thinking to hope that NIF will disappear. Don't be surprised when Z and ITER funding get cuts to balance out NIF funding increases.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-40001240416943897602014-03-01T08:53:31.443-08:002014-03-01T08:53:31.443-08:00NIF will eventually wither away and die because th...NIF will eventually wither away and die because the US cannot afford it. There will be no follow on or upgrade because the country cannot afford it, as any one not living on Mars for the last few years would understand. LLNL has bet the farm on NIF, so the big question is not what will be the future of NIF, but what will be the future of LLNL without NIF. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-44241868982562888652014-03-01T06:25:56.900-08:002014-03-01T06:25:56.900-08:00What does Brett "His Highness" Knapp hav...What does Brett "His Highness" Knapp have to say about NIF or does he understand it? Not likely, I'm one of the few who remember Knapp in the early 80's when he was a mediocre engineer at best. He's got folks at the Labs "snookered".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-52015186629372420052014-02-28T21:00:41.283-08:002014-02-28T21:00:41.283-08:00Absolutely no one with any scientific knowledge ev...Absolutely no one with any scientific knowledge ever believed that NIF was important to weapons physics. Some completely reprehensible and dishonorable scientists pretended otherwise. Unfortunately for the country, a bunch of politicians and bureaucrats bought it (or didn't care as long as the money flowed into their district), and the rest is history. The Big Lie about NIF seems still to have some legs. It boggles the mind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-7645117250265237152014-02-28T20:47:10.751-08:002014-02-28T20:47:10.751-08:00The purpose of NIF (and I was there) was to sieze ...The purpose of NIF (and I was there) was to sieze an opportunity to build a huge laser facility under the guise of "weapons physics" at a time when nuclear tests were banned (still are). The real weapons physics people had to be dragged to the table, kicking and screaming, and they were forced to get with the program or else be exiled to their isolated closets in 111, picking through the dinosaur bones of old tests. The real program was ICF, hence the name "national ignition facility" and the system requirements that focused on ignition. It can be debated whether or not this was worth the ultimate price that was probably 5 times larger than the initial one, but that's pretty much why it was built. It certainly wasn't to keep weapons physics people from going to work in Iraq or Pakistan or North Korea.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-30346126990483287162014-02-28T20:11:11.315-08:002014-02-28T20:11:11.315-08:00"The purpose of NIF was to keep the Phyicists..."The purpose of NIF was to keep the Phyicists employed to prevent their brains from wondering to a rogue nation. And that is a fact. It is like giving an autistic kid a math problem.<br /><br /> POS<br /><br /> February 28, 2014 at 4:21 PM"<br /><br />If what are you saying is true that NIF is indeed a very good idea and money well spent. <br /><br />He POS maybe you are starting to open you eyes and realize that supporting science is a great idea.<br />Keep it up you are making progress. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-15175357298005673722014-02-28T17:29:16.043-08:002014-02-28T17:29:16.043-08:00@POS: The scientific term for NIF is masterbatoriu...@POS: The scientific term for NIF is masterbatorium.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-4655612257789023652014-02-28T16:21:45.119-08:002014-02-28T16:21:45.119-08:00The purpose of NIF was to keep the Phyicists emplo...The purpose of NIF was to keep the Phyicists employed to prevent their brains from wondering to a rogue nation. And that is a fact. It is like giving an autistic kid a math problem.<br /><br />POSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com