Huge Laser to Create "Star" on Earth?

www.cnn.com...

Livermore, California (CNN) -- Scientists at a government lab here are trying to use the world's largest laser -- it's the size of three football fields -- to set off a nuclear reaction so intense that it will make a star bloom on the surface of the Earth. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's formula for cooking up a sun on the ground may sound like it's stolen from the plot of an "Austin Powers" movie. But it's no Hollywood fantasy: The ambitious experiment will be tried for real, and for the first time, late this summer.

Are there any thoughts on this? Could this be dangerous? Is it really for the benefit of us all, or is the inherent danger in the unknown of such not worth the risk?



[edit on 28-4-2010 by talisman]

Hmm, very interesting! I'll definitely be watching for updates on this story.

Thanks for sharing!

There is already a star close to us with power that can be harnessed. Whats the point in this?

That is the asserted nature of that particular laser laboratory.

Also... that sci fi science show showcased that vary lab for their "How to blow up a planet" episode on the "science" channel.

There are some things that are better left unknown and untested.

Ambitious, to say the least.
This will be very interesting to follow.
Great to bring it to the forefront.

Yes this is indeed very interesting, i can't wait to hear more about this.
I will be watching this one closely.

Great find

What on Earth would you do with such a powerful explosion?

I don't see the logic here.
Why do they want to set off a nuclear laser capable of producing a star?

This is weird and bad timing, in my humble opinion.



ADDED: After reading the article further, I've concluded that they are searching for a new form of energy in the form of the same nuclear fission process that our own Sun goes through every second.

Creating a minuscule star for 1/1,000,000,000,000th of a second. (trillionth)

I like the quote:

"There's no danger to the public," said Lynda Seaver, spokeswoman for the project.

Source


No....no danger at all.

[edit on 28-4-2010 by havok]

reply to post by havok


You mean you aren't comfortable with these yahoos harnessing the "power of the sun" and pointing it directly at us? To test their theory for the first time? C'mon, what's a little fried Earth for only a trillionth of a second?

My favorite part of the article is when they say;

And, in those recent years, the project has fallen a year off schedule, the GAO says, with the expected completion date for the research now at the end of 2012.

Now why oh why would someone want a star on the Earth? I really don't see much benefit in this, but I do find it amusing how much time and effort humans have been spending in re-creating events that have happened in space.

I feel this is a very important thread. S&F.

Hopefully this will receive lots of opinion off the members as it makes me very intrigued and very scared at the same time!!

Got to read more on this...... be back later.

g

A thread has been made before yours already.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Just letting you guys know.

For something that is going to die 200 trillionths of a second after it's ignited and measures only 5 microns across, not something I'll be losing sleep over.
Interesting read nonetheless.

S&F.

Interesting..

IMO good for science, bad for people in a sense. I hope they know what they are doing.

Creating a star on planet earth could have some very interesting reprocussions.

Either free energy or complete destruction. (Not so much the last part, as it's not gonna last long enough or be big enough.)

Kind of reminds me of the Blue Energy in V.

~Keeper

[edit on 4/28/2010 by tothetenthpower]

Originally posted by lpowell0627
There are some things that are better left unknown and untested.

Care to offer your thoughts on why this might be one of those things? Or do you wish to simply leave it at that?

I think it is a neat thing and just like with the LHC no danger will come from this.... Come on guys, not everything is dangerous....

I swear if some had their way, we would be stuck in the year 1600.....


I say lets do it!

That is amazing! I wonder how hot it is going to get and how big the Sun is going to be. 3 football feilds, nuts.

reply to post by wonderinghows

100 million degrees Celsius.
5 microns across, several times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Originally posted by gimme_some_truth
I swear if some had their way, we would be stuck in the year 1600.....

No kidding.

These experiments could lead to the development of Nuclear Fusion reactors which is a good thing. They're cleaner than Nuclear Fission as they produce much less radioactive waste. And the waste that you would get from a Fusion reactor has a much shorter half-life of 50 - 100 years instead of thousands of years that you get from Fission.

There is also no chance of having a Chernobyl like accident with a Fusion power plant. Nuclear fusion requires very specific conditions, if those conditions are disrupted, the fusion stops.

Here's a photo gallery of the NIF. They have photos of the laser as well as photos from inside the chamber where the "star" will be created.

en.wikipedia.org...

[edit on 28-4-2010 by jra]