Guest: Dr. Matthew Moynihan. Topics: Polywell fusion and an overview of fusion progress & fusion companies. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm. For those listening to archives using live365.com and rating the programs, please email me as to why you assign a specific rating to the show. This will help me bring better programming to the audience. We welcomed Dr. Matthew Moynihan to the program to discuss the Polywell and the fusion industry and progress. In the first segment of our 1 hour 48 minute discussion, we opened up talking about fusors and the Polywell, plus the work of Dr. Bussard re the Polywell and more. Also, note that Dr. Moynihan mentioned several organizations, individuals and companies during the show for which he will post a blog comment with specific links to those he mentioned. If you are so inclined, do follow up on his list of contacts regarding fusion. Our early discussion of fusors also led to a discussion about amateur fusion and the fact that 13 and 14 year old students have created fusion in their homes. He provided us with the details of these science faire winning experiments, how to get information about doing this, and the criteria used to determine if fusion happened. At various times during our discussion, he mentioned Carl Greninger and his high school fusion program. For more information, visit http://lobby.nwnc.us.com/_layouts/15/start.aspx#/SitePages/Home.aspx. Dr. Moynihan went into detail about the Polywell but he also mentioned alternative fusion efforts. He did explain the technology behind the Polywell, trapping diamagnetic plasma and much more. Our guest suggested that we might want to view the talk given at Microsoft by Dr. Park which you can find by searching for "Microsoft Hosts The Polywell." Listeners asked several questions including one that asked him to compare the Polywell and other alternative fusion efforts to the ITER and also to the work being done regarding the large Tokamak reactors. Tim emailed in a question asking about the Skunkworks Compact Fusion Reactor. Other listeners asked about VASIMIR and a potential fusion rocket. Rita asked why fission was supposed to be more dangerous than fusion. Later, a Mom emailed in saying her son was listening and asking about his doing a fusion experiment in their home. She wanted to know how safe it was to do these experiments. Her question was followed by one asking about needing permits and complying with various regulations to do a fusor experiment. Toward the end of the segment, as a result of another listener question, Matt provided us with a timeline of fusion progress & challenges since the 1950s. In the second segment, Matt talked about solar energy as a result of a set of questions from Tim. As you will hear, using solar or any other type of energy does not have to be an either or proposition. Tim also asked Matt about the Joint European Torus which Matt discussed in some detail. More was said about amateur fusion & students using their own initiative to find out about these projects and to pursue them. Midway in this segment, Matt addressed two companies and their success so far, Phoenix Nuclear Labs and their associated company, Shine Medical Technologies. In the context of these two companies, he talked about using neutron generators to make molybdenum-99 for medical radioisotopes and selling them on the commercial market. In the remaining time, he talked about other companies and commercial efforts regarding the emerging fusion industry. In summarizing his comments, he stressed that the Polywell was a research concept with arguments both against it and in support of it. He repeated that we needed to try & keep trying regarding the Polywell research. Near the end, a listener asked if a crowdfunding venture could finance Polywell or other fusion projects. We talked about the crowdfunding potential and I looked up the largest, most successful crowdfunding ventures to date. You might be surprised by what I found out about the crowdfunding potential. Make sure you visit The Polywell Blog operated by Matt (www.thepolywellblog.com). Please post comments/questions on The Space Show blog above. Dr. Moynihan can be reached through his blog or me.
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