More about the fusion research project sponsored by the Texas Atomic Energy Research Foundation
Laboratory complexes at the University of Texas at Austin and the General Atomic Division in San Diego, California
The difference between fusion and fission
Need for nuclear energy
How to create a controlled thermonuclear reaction on Earth
Dr. Marshall Rosenbluth, a General Atomics scientist. Following professorships at University of California San Diego and the Princeton Institute of Advanced Study, Rosenbluth joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin in 1980. He also served as director of the university’s newly formed Institute of Fusion Studies.
The gun-shot method
Testing plasma guns
Research conducted at the University of Texas
On the right is Dr. Hans Schlüter, a physics professor at the University of Texas from 1961 to 1968
Dr. Edward Creutz, a General Atomics scientist, assesses the progress made in understanding controlled fusion and its uses
Mark Video Segment:
begin
end
play
See someone or something you recognize? TAMI Tagging
Click begin and end to mark the segment you wish to tag. Then enter your comment and click on Tag!
Presented by the Texas Atomic Energy Research Foundation (TAERF) and the General Dynamics Corporation General Atomic Division, this 1960s educational film reports on efforts to achieve a controlled thermonuclear reaction. After introducing the research project, the film defines fusion and the challenges of its engineering. The necessary conditions do not naturally occur on Earth. Next, it visits the General Atomics laboratory in San Diego as well as the science facilities at the University of Texas at Austin to highlight ongoing research and testing. One theory the film explores in greater detail is the gun-shot method, with the resulting hot plasma trapped in a magnetic bottle. “Reaching for the Stars” was originally produced in 1960, but was rereleased in 1964 to incorporate additional footage shot at the University of Texas. TAERF was a consortium of ten power companies operating in Texas that supported plasma research at General Atomics and the University of Texas.
Share this video
