LSJ – Kelterborn: Put nuclear research in perspective
LSJ – Kelterborn: Put nuclear research in perspective
By Mike Kelterborn | 22 March 2012 – 23:00
International project on fusion is vital to world
Recently we learned the President’s budget would reduce funding for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams nuclear research project at Michigan State University. Predictably, politicians representing mid-Michigan lined up to issue statements chastising the administration for failing to fully support FRIB.
Although we in mid-Michigan are disappointed to learn that funding for FRIB could be reduced, is it really fair to portray the administration as shifting funding away from a U.S. project to a similar project based in Europe? I think not.
FRIB and ITER are not comparable projects. ITER, spawned in 1985 by initiative from European leaders and President Reagan, is an established long-term project. Its mission is to demonstrate the feasibility of nuclear fusion to produce clean, environmentally safe energy on a commercial scale. ITER has gained further international support as the world’s nations became increasingly aware that the sustainability of the world economy demands development of an alternative to fossil fuels as a primary source of energy.
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