] With a blast of X-rays compressing a capsule of hydrogen ] to conditions approaching those at the center of the Sun, ] scientists from Sandia National Laboratories reported ] today that they had achieved thermonuclear fusion, in ] essence detonating a tiny hydrogen bomb. ] ] Such controlled explosions would not be large enough to ] be dangerous and might offer an alternative way of ] generating electricity by harnessing fusion, the process ] that powers the Sun. Fusion combines hydrogen atoms into ] helium, producing bountiful energy as a byproduct. Yay. Alternative sources of power are a good thing. |