Scientists skeptical of Lockheed Martin's truck-sized FUSION reactor breakthrough boast [View all]

[nitpicker]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/16/experts_skeptical_over_lockheed_martins_claims_to_have_cracked_fusion/

Scientists skeptical of Lockheed Martin's truck-sized FUSION reactor breakthrough boast
By Iain Thomson, 16 Oct 2014

Pic Lockheed Martin has caused quite a stir with its announcement that it will ship fusion reactors the size of a truck within the next decade.
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Lockheed gave Aviation Week a sneak peek at the technology, and McGuire certainly talks a mean game. Conventional fusion reactors are massive systems of machinery that contain superheated plasma held in a torus using magnetism, but the Lockheed design eschews that approach in favor of a reaction chamber that can hold the plasma in a new configuration that is much smaller.
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Sounds great, right? Compact fusion reactors of this type would solve the world's energy needs at a stroke, slash carbon emissions, and ensure reliable, clean power anywhere in the world with some easy-to-obtain fuel: hydrogen. But experts are skeptical, not just about the technology but about the manner in which it is being promoted.
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If the technology is such a game changer, why isn't moneybags Lockheed prepared to put its own money behind it? "Lockheed Martin had revenues of $45bn last year, and profits of $2.9bn, so why are they seeking external funding, he asked. "That's like Barack Obama asking me for a loan."

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It's very rare in the scientific field for a revolutionary leap forward of the nature Lockheed is claiming. It's not impossible, but the scientific community will need to see a lot more evidence before the compact fusion reactor is taken seriously.