The largest human achievement was moments away from reaching fruition. 23,000 tons of metal, 80,000 kilometers of niobium-tin superconducting strands, 13 billion Euros and innumerable man-hours all went into the ITER project. All of this to create a toroid of plasma that will reach 150 million degrees Celsius; which will allow the fusion of atomic nuclei. This was the answer to everything; climate change, energy crisis, foreign policy, everything.
These thoughts bounced around Michael Bake's head as he sat in the control room of the Tokomak facility. Injection of the deuterium and tritium into the vacuum chamber was well under way with only five minutes remaining before they engaged the powerful electromagnet in the core of the machine.
“You look nervous.” The thickly accented voice of Heinrich Meier accompanied by a hearty thud on the shoulder broke through Bake’s fog.
“And you aren’t?”
“Of course I am,” agreed the German, “but I’ve been worrying about my little baby here every day for ten years and today she gets to stand on her own two feet.”
Bake doubted that the German had ever worried about anything in his life. As the chief engineer he had shown nothing but confidence throughout the enter process.
“I hope you’re right. We’ve got the world watching us you know.”
“I know my friend. They say that there hasn’t been a global audience like this since your Armstrong stepped on the moon.”
One of the technicians sitting at the bank of computers in front of the physicist and engineer turned around in his chair.
“Injection is complete. We’re ready to begin phase two.” Bake looked sidelong at his stout, red-headed friend, whose mouth broke into and even wider grin.
“Proceed.”
A faint hum filled the facility as the magnet began to run a current through the gaseous mixture. Bake could imagine the electrons being ripped from the atoms of hydrogen and the whole mess beginning to glow as it became a swirl of plasma. He could almost see the luminescent donut spinning in the middle of the world’s most expensive machine. It was only a minute or two before the technician, without turning around, said that the toroidal and poroidal superconducting coils were being engaged. These would squeeze the plasma into the center of the vacuum chamber raising the temperature to 10 million degrees centigrade. The hum raised an octave or two, causing Bake to give a worried glance at Meier. Clapping his wide hand on Bake’s much smaller one the German reassured him with a nod and a wink. Bake pulled his hand free, a little too forcefully, hoping that his comrade didn’t notice the moistness of his palms.
In order to achieve nuclear fusion more energy had to be added. The final step was to shoot radio and microwaves along with high-energy deuterium atoms into the mix thus reaching 150 million degrees and the world’s first manmade fusion-powered generator. The technicians observed their monitors with an astonishing intensity. Even the stalwart Meier seemed to slide to the edge of his chair.
“Now!” the technician burst out, making Bake jump to his feet. The hum reached a deafening level but his full attention was now on the temperature readings and energy output monitor. Every second seemed to be an hour. From a dull pain in his arm he knew that Meier was on his feet as well, gripping his arm like a vice. As each second passed the temperature crept towards its goal and Bake kept a close eye on the energy output reading.
Panic rose in his chest as the temperature reached 150 million degrees but the output read zero.
“We did it!” Shouted Meier. “We did it my friend!”
“No we didn’t!” Bake gasped. “Look at the energy output!”
But his mood couldn’t be broken, he shook Bake’s limp hand and began to prance around to each technician giving them solid pats on the back.
Anger rising from the pit of his stomach Bake cried, “All we’ve done is make a really hot oven you fool!”
A little deflated but still with a grin on his face Meier replied, “Well, at least it didn’t explode.”
-CRACK-
Steven Springer was looking out of the Earth side window of the ISS when the south of France disappeared, followed shortly after by the whole of Europe. A wall of incandescent elements rushed up and over the atmosphere engulfing ocean and continent alike until the entire planet shined with the light of man’s first fusion reaction. For two minutes and thirteen seconds the solar system had another star and only six people were left to talk about it.
These thoughts bounced around Michael Bake's head as he sat in the control room of the Tokomak facility. Injection of the deuterium and tritium into the vacuum chamber was well under way with only five minutes remaining before they engaged the powerful electromagnet in the core of the machine.
“You look nervous.” The thickly accented voice of Heinrich Meier accompanied by a hearty thud on the shoulder broke through Bake’s fog.
“And you aren’t?”
“Of course I am,” agreed the German, “but I’ve been worrying about my little baby here every day for ten years and today she gets to stand on her own two feet.”
Bake doubted that the German had ever worried about anything in his life. As the chief engineer he had shown nothing but confidence throughout the enter process.
“I hope you’re right. We’ve got the world watching us you know.”
“I know my friend. They say that there hasn’t been a global audience like this since your Armstrong stepped on the moon.”
One of the technicians sitting at the bank of computers in front of the physicist and engineer turned around in his chair.
“Injection is complete. We’re ready to begin phase two.” Bake looked sidelong at his stout, red-headed friend, whose mouth broke into and even wider grin.
“Proceed.”
A faint hum filled the facility as the magnet began to run a current through the gaseous mixture. Bake could imagine the electrons being ripped from the atoms of hydrogen and the whole mess beginning to glow as it became a swirl of plasma. He could almost see the luminescent donut spinning in the middle of the world’s most expensive machine. It was only a minute or two before the technician, without turning around, said that the toroidal and poroidal superconducting coils were being engaged. These would squeeze the plasma into the center of the vacuum chamber raising the temperature to 10 million degrees centigrade. The hum raised an octave or two, causing Bake to give a worried glance at Meier. Clapping his wide hand on Bake’s much smaller one the German reassured him with a nod and a wink. Bake pulled his hand free, a little too forcefully, hoping that his comrade didn’t notice the moistness of his palms.
In order to achieve nuclear fusion more energy had to be added. The final step was to shoot radio and microwaves along with high-energy deuterium atoms into the mix thus reaching 150 million degrees and the world’s first manmade fusion-powered generator. The technicians observed their monitors with an astonishing intensity. Even the stalwart Meier seemed to slide to the edge of his chair.
“Now!” the technician burst out, making Bake jump to his feet. The hum reached a deafening level but his full attention was now on the temperature readings and energy output monitor. Every second seemed to be an hour. From a dull pain in his arm he knew that Meier was on his feet as well, gripping his arm like a vice. As each second passed the temperature crept towards its goal and Bake kept a close eye on the energy output reading.
Panic rose in his chest as the temperature reached 150 million degrees but the output read zero.
“We did it!” Shouted Meier. “We did it my friend!”
“No we didn’t!” Bake gasped. “Look at the energy output!”
But his mood couldn’t be broken, he shook Bake’s limp hand and began to prance around to each technician giving them solid pats on the back.
Anger rising from the pit of his stomach Bake cried, “All we’ve done is make a really hot oven you fool!”
A little deflated but still with a grin on his face Meier replied, “Well, at least it didn’t explode.”
-CRACK-
Steven Springer was looking out of the Earth side window of the ISS when the south of France disappeared, followed shortly after by the whole of Europe. A wall of incandescent elements rushed up and over the atmosphere engulfing ocean and continent alike until the entire planet shined with the light of man’s first fusion reaction. For two minutes and thirteen seconds the solar system had another star and only six people were left to talk about it.