Anonymously contributed:
What do you think of the Ed Moses presentation about LIFE? Will we really be able to unload any old kind of nuclear waste into a vessel, send a laser in, get out electricity and be left with almost no spent fuel to dispose of and have it be economical? Why is this being pushed now, before NIF has been demonstrated? Maybe to open up a new funding stream for NIF, since it is perpetually behind schedule and overbudget? Should there be a public peer-review of this concept?
14 comments:
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. this is all i got out of eds speech.
If it works I'm all for it. Anything to get off oil.
September 3, 2008 4:30 AM
I still have lots of questions such as how do you contain 100% of all the neutrons and then once you crap up the device how do you safely get back inside to refuel the reaction chamber. I'm assuming is a remote 100% robotic operation?
It was sort a fun talk. Kind of like watching a science fiction movie - with a odd interlude to watch some golf!
As many have said, it's clear that NIF is vital to the survival of the lab. In fact, they should just shut everything else down now and more honestly just focus on it - unless they actually need everyone elses taxes to survive.
It seems that the LIFE project makes a very strong case for moving LLNL out of NNSA and back to DOE.
what i find disturbing is that it seems Ed has already concluded NIF will fail as a weapons tool and has already started promoting a new mission.
Sounds like typical lab double talk to me. the big question is whether or not congress will be bamboozled again by Ed and company.
I have been told by folks in upper level management that NIF is in serious trouble. This seems to support that claim
September 4, 2008 6:46 AM
When I joined the old Laser Program Directorate in the early 1990s the project that became NIF was suppose to be the direct successor to Nova, which was not a weapons tool. Although Nova did do some classified shots, it was not directly funded by Defense Programs. So it seems that Ed wants to take NIF back to its roots as a science tool.
September 4, 2008 1:44 PM
Could that be because stockpile stewardship money is drying up since they now realize it's not needed and have no intention of ever resurrecting it. The nation has more important issues to deal with like getting off crude forever.
Mmmm, did god speak? Yes, with a small g.
What will LIFE really do and which part of DOE will pay for it? Show me the money.
I have seen this ploy many times over the decades. Whenever a fusion project looks like it will have trouble 'breaking even', the backup plan is a fission-fusion hybrid. The terrible downside is that this is almost certainly the worst of both worlds - the complexity and expense of a fusion driver coupled with the expense and hazards of fission waste.
He knows NIF will fail and after he had his hand in the ISP, he is now crawling out of his "hole" to come up with a new project. I say he is blowing smoke up where the sun does not shine.
Lets just hope all federal funding for anything except essentials is halted until this $11T dollar deficit is paid IN FULL.
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