"We're long overdue to have converted something so destructive that finally it could be used for a peaceful purpose in the service of civilization," deGrasse Tyson said. Even thought it's not burning fossil fuel, meltdowns like Chernobyl and Fukushima are evidence that our nuclear fission can still harm humans - and our environment.īut now, fusion's moment appears to finally be here. 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.Ĭurrently, nuclear power plants use fission, which breaks atoms apart to make energy. Marvin Adams for a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters to announce a breakthrough in fusion research on Dec. Arati Prabhakar and NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs Dr. Kim Budil, National Nuclear Security Administration head Jill Hruby, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Dr. ![]() Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (C) is joined by (L-R) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories Director Dr. That's the goal of a multinational, multibillion-dollar project called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, which is under construction in southern France. Scientists believe fusion plants would be much safer than today's nuclear fission plants - if the process can be mastered. "And just remember, fusion power has no nuclear waste to speak of, no meltdowns to worry about." Nuclear power plants use a certain kind of uranium, referred to as U-235, for fuel because its atoms are easily split apart. Uranium is considered a nonrenewable energy source, even though it is a common metal found in rocks worldwide. ![]() ![]() Michio Kaku, a professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York. Uranium is the fuel most widely used by nuclear plants for nuclear fission. "They took 200 laser beams, some of the most powerful on the planet Earth, converged that energy down to a pellet, a pellet the size of a BB," said Dr. Nuclear fusion technology has been around since the creation of the hydrogen bomb, but using that technology to harness energy has required decades of research.
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