General fusion Funding

[mvanwink5]

Amazon Billionaire Bezos Backs Nuclear Fusion In $19.5 Million Round

http://blogs.forbes.com/clareoconnor/20 ... ion-round/

http://www.generalfusion.com/downloads/ ... ries_b.pdf

[chrismb]

It's amazing - for a company that has failed to get any of its first 5 patent applications accepted. There I was thinking that getting IP was kinda important for investors!

[Ivy Matt]

That's okay, they'll be sure to be granted their patents after they've proven their device to work.

[Skipjack]

That is great news!
Lets hope they will show us some working devices soon. Their idea is probably among the most "fun" of all of them. "Steam Punk" Fusion, how cool is that?
He who has a picture in his mind of the whole machine being covered in brass plating with a guy wearing welding goggles and a victorian suit at the controls

[Giorgio]

That will be cool indeed
Is good to see guys that can afford to make some risky investments like this.

I wonder how Jeff Bezos other investment (BlueOrigin.com) is going.

[nextbigfuture]

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/04/nasa-b ... ssors.html

Blue Origin of Kent, Wash., will receive $22 million to further the development of its space vehicle design and pusher escape system. Blue Origin was established by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos and is developing the cone-shaped vertical launch vehicle New Shepard.

[krenshala]

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/04/nasa-b ... ssors.html

Blue Origin of Kent, Wash., will receive $22 million to further the development of its space vehicle design and pusher escape system. Blue Origin was established by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos and is developing the cone-shaped vertical launch vehicle New Shepard.

Nice to see the Delta Clipper hasn't been dropped by the wayside.

[Skipjack]

Nice to see the Delta Clipper hasn't been dropped by the wayside.

Yeah, they are kinda simillar.
I really like hearing that they have plans for a larger vehicle that will be orbital instead of just suborbital. Good stuff!

[Giorgio]

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/04/nasa-b ... ssors.html

Blue Origin of Kent, Wash., will receive $22 million to further the development of its space vehicle design and pusher escape system. Blue Origin was established by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos and is developing the cone-shaped vertical launch vehicle New Shepard.

I missed that one. Thanks for the head up!

[TallDave]

Excellent news.

The more ideas that are funded, the better the odds one of them will pan out into something economically useful.

Plus, I can't wait to see this thing in action. Even if it doesn't work, it's a steampunk dream machine!

[Skipjack]

Even if it doesn't work, it's a steampunk dream machine!

Agreed, I think they should hire the guy that made this to do the controls
http://steampunkworkshop.com/organ-cockpit-desk

And the reactor itself DEFINITELY needs some bronze plating

[rjaypeters]

Someone asked the question of polywells: "When could we have built them?" The answer, IIRC, was early-mid Twentieth-century.

Same for the General Fusion approach: "When could we have built them?" In the Victorian Era? Wild!

[Skipjack]

Same for the General Fusion approach: "When could we have built them?" In the Victorian Era? Wild!

No, the computer technology to accurately control the pistons was not available yet at the time. Even today it could be a problem. AFAIK, it is one of the main engineering challenges that they are facing.
All the pistons have to be released within microseconds (or less?).

[Giorgio]

My main issue with General Fusion is the propagation of the wave into the rotating lead/lithium solution.
Even small variation of density and temperature will modify the propagation of the waves rendering the focusing at the center difficult.

I am curious to see what type of solutions they will come out with to monitor and solve this point.

[Skipjack]

Well they allegedly got it to work in a small scale prototype by using explosives.
Scaling this up may become a challenge though.