Lockheed says makes breakthrough on Fusion Energy project

agree with zaphod

best news for humans for a long long time

will change the world forever

and tech gets o advanced without suitcase sized batteries

go humans!!!

Q

a reply to: MystikMushroom

A fighter sized airframe, no. A bigger one, I don't see why not. Shielding was always the biggest problem with nuclear propulsion.

Why is it always ten years away? Can't they give a different number for once? I do find it interesting that Washington U has said they've come up with a fusion power plant. About the same time Lockheed put out word about their leap. Could mean we're jumping in to the fusion age of power. But could also mean that someone has leaked enough info on how it's done that it can no longer be covered up, so everyone is going all in now.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
a reply to: Zaphod58

If it's small enough to fit in a truck, would be small and light enough to power an airframe?

That is one of their stated goals, McGuire even mentions it in his video.

Crucially, by being “compact,” Lockheed believes its scalable concept will also be small and practical enough for applications ranging from interplanetary spacecraft and commercial ships to city power stations. It may even revive the concept of large, nuclear-powered aircraft that virtually never require refueling—ideas of which were largely abandoned more than 50 years ago because of the dangers and complexities involved with nuclear fission reactors.

Source

My tin-foil hat says they've been working on it a LOT longer than 4 years and that, amazingly, as the world reaches critical mass for climate change (yeah, yeah, I'm one of THOSE people that thinks the science is real on that) suddenly, miraculously, within a critical ten year window they could magically make all that go away with brand new tech!

Don't get me wrong - I think its totally wonderful and hopeful - a game-changer for all of us if we start using it in time.
It gives me chills to think it could possibly happen in my lifetime!

I just think it would have been more awesome if it happened, oh, ten years ago? Twenty?

Just when it looks like we can't squeeze out more oil/natural gas without causing irreversible harm, and with a 10 year window to make an easy transition for the moneyed class and investors/energy companies to jump on board...

Well. Better late than never. Kudos to Skunk Works!

peace,
AB

ps- sorry - but this has my spidey sense tingling for some reason... It really is an awesome thing!

a reply to: Zaphod58

The managed to make it work in small, confined spaces such as a submarine. I suppose though with a sub you don't have to worry about the weight ... airplane, different story.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

When you've got a fighter weighing a hundred thousand pounds, designed for 9G turns weight and balance is crucial. A couple thousand ton ship designed to turn in a couple miles, not so much.

I've run in to two different types of fusion generators so far. One from Washington U which is based of the french one that uses plasma held in a magnetic field to heat up water to run turbines like any other reactor made today. The other is the one Lockheed is making, this one I'm not sure what process they're using to get fusion.

Hopefully, this should make oil prices go down. If people think there will be a huge drop off in twenty years, they will likely increase production now.

I do wonder if the announcement is linked with political pressure. After all, some countries are going to lose much of their power. China must be thrilled.

a reply to: Nicorette

This is what I'm talking about.

Where do I sign up to be a beta tester?

I'm really glad to hear that this technology is finally going to be utilized. This will be better for the environment and the waste is not nearly as harmful as Atomic power plants waste. S&F

Twenty years though, we will only get about ten years of use before the environment collapses.

This is certainly good news, though I do have a sneaky suspicion, this will invariably fizzle out, in less than 2 years
a reply to: Nicorette

a reply to: ObjectZero

The Lockheed team says they are targeting five years for a working prototype, 10 years for commercial and military applications.

originally posted by: Nicorette
a reply to: ObjectZero

The Lockheed team says they are targeting five years for a working prototype, 10 years for commercial and military applications.

Oh ok will that's better then ten years. I do really think someone has let the cat out of the bag on fusion, and that's the reason people are releasing the reports now. We've always had a couple put up here and there, but now we have a couple prototypes in the works from different companies and other places.

UW fusion reactor

a reply to: SLAYER69

Interesting point on trying to determine not the case of how and when, but WHY release this to the public. Was it out of fear, a way of gaining as much witnesses as possible? I would have thought they would not generally need to go on a public advertisement to find investors in a gamechanger like this?

Also I find it strange that the fact that they have been working on this for 4 years, around when the ebola patent was made. Then the petrodollar really starting to paddle now with the Russians and Chinese. Maybe word has got out, and the American economy is so much more in the sh*t than we thought. Hence bring in the ebola and wipe out a few million people and put into action a state of emergency which we will never come out of. A bit out there but nothing would surprise me anymore.

But on face value fantastic news

a reply to: liteonit6969

Sometimes a rock on Mars is just a rock.

a reply to: AboveBoard

Yes it's definitely cool!

Who knows, it is possible "they" in the military industrial complex had this technology decades ago but they came to a secret agreement with Western oil companies to give them time to "monetize" their proven reserves while giving the military a secret monopoly on a powerful technology before commercializing it. Now they are commercializing it.

The best way for elites to maintain economic dominance and the current power structures while transitioning from petroleum to future energy technology would be by carefully classifying, controlling, and then slowly transitioning to the new technology. Let the military have it first in black projects to maintain air superiority for decades while their oil company partners mine and sell petroleum reserves as fast as they can without regard to the future. That is how Western energy companies have acted over the last 40 years -- as if Peak Oil didn't matter -- while national oil companies (OPEC, Russian, Venezuelan) have all acted in long-term economic interest, planning for that the sale of oil will maintain their societies' wealth for the next 100 years. Are Western companies acting out of short-term economic game or did they have advanced knowledge of future energy technology?

This is just my own idle speculation, of course, some tin foil fuel for ATS. I think it's more likely these announcements are on the level, fusion research has been known for a while but nobody was getting it to work, yet Western energy companies have simply anticipated it as a likely technological development without any grand conspiracy.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I know but the thread was just sounding too good and straight forward so I had to throw my suspicious hat on.

And with this technology it wont be long until we will really know if a rock on mars is just a rock.

But that logic does not always work....

Tried that with my doctor today, said to him maybe a pimple on my d*ck is just a pimple.

But I was wrong and said ive been a dirty dog, nothing a good dose of antibiotics wont sort out :p

a reply to: Zaphod58

I always thought that rail guns used an enormous amount of energy.

a reply to: QuietSpeech

They do. Several new capacitors have come from that project.