The last week has been a momentous one in the world of science and technology. The Artemis Orion space capsule returned safely to earth after a journey to the moon. And scientists succeeded in creating a controlled fusion reaction that generates more energy than it consumes.
First about the moon shot. I loved seeing the Orion space capsule return to earth. As it approached there were lovely pictures of the earth’s crescent, whose color was blue. Not only hues of green, brown and white, as you might expect, but overwhelming blue. These were the most powerful images of earth since the Apollo mission, which coincidentally ended with Apollo 17 exactly 50 years earlier.
Equally powerful was watching the capsule descend through the atmosphere. The onboard camera showed the view of the atmosphere between fireball induced radio blackouts. It was like being in a jet above the clouds, only much higher, so that you could clearly see the curve of the horizon. The parachutes deployed in several stages, ending with three large orange ones that brought the capsule to the ocean surface. The TV coverage brought back boyhood memories of Apollo splashdowns. I was glad I had gone to mass the night before so I could watch Orion make its descent live.
No astronauts were aboard Orion this time, only a mannequin. But soon, hopefully in 2024, human beings will pilot Orion around the moon. Then comes the development of a moon lander made by SpaceX. Also in the works is a fuel depot in earth orbit—whose purpose isn’t yet clear to me—and one day a moon base. The next two decades will be tremendously exciting for space enthusiasts. We are finally returning to where we should have stayed all along: our brother the Moon.
Here on earth something equally cool happened this past week. Net positive fusion energy. At the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory they pound tiny fuel pellets with high powered lasers to create fusion reactions, but it’s always taken more energy than it gives. Energy reactors have to do the opposite, creating more power than they need to operate.
This week, that happened. The energy released by the fuel pellet was greater than the laser energy needed to produce it. This means it’s possible—in principle—to build a fusion reactor to generate electricity. I say in principle because many things have to happen before a practical reactor could be built. The main one being creating much larger fusion reactions that require much less energy. Still, the scientific principle has been proven. Fusion reactors are possible. What remains is some very challenging engineering work. But I have a feeling the engineers are up for it.