WB7.1 Contract Awarded March 3, 2009

Betruger · Post by **Betruger** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 3:30 am

I wouldn't ring the publicity bell without asking Dr. Nebel first.

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 9:33 am

zbarlici wrote:...If Msimon is correct when saying that polywell is no longer under the radar and DOE has been made aware of this, they will keep tabs whether or not Nebel is allowed to disclose. The people writing these contracts up for EMC2 should know that. it seems there is another reason for keeping this under wrap. I suggest Msimon and others that have the know-how on how to spread the word most efficiently go into 100% mode. You are doing nothing wrong by trying to spread awareness. Perhaps you can give me a few hints as well?

1. Set up Google Alerts on search terms that you want to respond to.
2. Have some canned responses (links, phrases) at hand
3. Always read the article you are responding to and make at least part of your response directly appropriate

I have been in the 100% mode for a month.

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 9:39 am

Betruger wrote:I wouldn't ring the publicity bell without asking Dr. Nebel first.

Never ask a question you don't want an answer to.

If Dr. N asks me to stop I will. In the mean time full speed ahead.

You must consider that his position may be such that he can't be involved in any publicity campaign. So don't make him responsible. Don't ask and he can't tell.

Betruger · Post by **Betruger** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:08 pm

Ya know, I hesitated to post, thinking that exact thing.

MSimon wrote: You must consider that his position may be such that he can't be involved in any publicity campaign. So don't make him responsible. Don't ask and he can't tell.

JohnP · Post by **JohnP** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:24 pm

It is way too late for that. If the DOE doesn't have some one monitoring this site - I'd be very surprised.

Instapundit has mentioned Polywell a couple of times. He has 200,000 readers. I'm betting there is at least 1 ITER guy in the bunch.

I have left comments on Polywell at the "Unofficial ITER Fan Club".

Polywell is no longer below the radar. Not even close.

DOE is a lot of people. Just because a few ITER folks have read about it a few times doesn't mean that the higher-ups, the people who could really stir up trouble, know or care.

OTOH, Dr Steven Chu apparently knows about Polywell, and AFAIK hasn't acted on it one way or the other. One would hope that he's somehow in the loop, though.

Jeff Peachman · Post by **Jeff Peachman** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 6:23 pm

More good news! I'm glad to hear this.

As for publicity, I'm continuing to tell all the engineers I know here at Michigan. But maybe I should start hitting all the blogs as well =)

alexjrgreen · Post by **alexjrgreen** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 9:43 pm

Billy Catringer wrote:Personally, I think that the Navy is simply trying to keep DOE out of their business. I don't blame them, either.

Since 2003:

http://www.fbodaily.com/archive/2003/03 ... 279343.htm

http://www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum/Y200 ... 826D8Z.pdf

Billy Catringer · Post by **Billy Catringer** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 9:52 pm

I get a server stall on this link (from the page you linked):

(http://www.eps.gov/spg/DON/NAVAIR/dept2 ... _0002.html)

The other one led to a PDF that I will read later. I'm up to my ears in number crunching at the moment.

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 3:57 am

DOE is a lot of people. Just because a few ITER folks have read about it a few times doesn't mean that the higher-ups, the people who could really stir up trouble, know or care.

Bureaucratic infighting can get very vicious. To think that the higher ups are not kept informed is possible. Very unlikely. But possible.

cuddihy · Post by **cuddihy** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 4:04 am

Helius wrote:
Billy Catringer wrote:Personally, I think that the Navy is simply trying to keep DOE out of their business. I don't blame them, either.
Excellent Point. Low budget is low level. As soon as it seems like a solution, and gets a real budget, it'll bite the dust. For evidence we only need to look at the Integral Fast reactor (IFR), which was a coal-killer, but was shot down by Hazel O'Leary, Bubba's Energy Secretary. Bubba himself and the morons in the 103rd US Congress also brought us such gems as the Brady bill, NAFTA, "Don't Ask, Don't tell", and Community Development Banking and Financial institutions act.

As much damage the Clinton Administration and the 103rd congress has done, the Worst has to be killing the IFR, and that darn Community Development act.

Without getting into the politics, this very well could be an effort to keep the profile as low as possible. Not everyone who works for the government really thinks the adminstration has everyone's best interests at heart.

IFR was DOA, even if it had gone into trials under the radar, there's all the licensing and challenge laws that still apply. Commercial fission is dead until the DOE gets disbanded, maybe even that won't kill the Luddite tendencies of the environmental movement --look at the kooks rejoicing all week that Yucca mountain was shut down.

Billy Catringer · Post by **Billy Catringer** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 11:01 am

Holy smokes! Lookit what Alex found!

FY 2007 Accomplishments: The primary objective of this initiative is to revalidate and prove the effectiveness of inertial electrostatic confinement using the polyhedral magnetic field systems studied over the previous 19 years of R&D. The final success of the last tests in CY2005 will be reproduced and results validated by experiments on two more machines to prove that the entire concept, applicable to boron/hydrogen reactions, can and does work and can be developed for employment in DoD power systems at an early date.

Hullabaloo, canek-canek!

Boys and girls, we are working on the single most important thing every devised by humankind. If only Doctor Bussard were here to see it.

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 1:09 pm

Billy Catringer wrote:Holy smokes! Lookit what Alex found!

FY 2007 Accomplishments: The primary objective of this initiative is to revalidate and prove the effectiveness of inertial electrostatic confinement using the polyhedral magnetic field systems studied over the previous 19 years of R&D. The final success of the last tests in CY2005 will be reproduced and results validated by experiments on two more machines to prove that the entire concept, applicable to boron/hydrogen reactions, can and does work and can be developed for employment in DoD power systems at an early date.

Hullabaloo, canek-canek!

Boys and girls, we are working on the single most important thing every devised by humankind. If only Doctor Bussard were here to see it.

I was on the list that got Dr. B's e-mail when the contract for WB-7 was let. I had no idea he was close to death. I can tell you that he seemed to be a very happy man.

And to have Dr. N say on Cosmic Log that bloggers were a great help in making that happen? I'm going to die (when the time comes) a happy man too.

joedead · Post by **joedead** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 1:24 pm

FY 2007 Accomplishments: The primary objective of this initiative is to revalidate and prove the effectiveness of inertial electrostatic confinement using the polyhedral magnetic field systems studied over the previous 19 years of R&D. The final success of the last tests in CY2005 will be reproduced and results validated by experiments on two more machines to prove that the entire concept, applicable to boron/hydrogen reactions, can and does work and can be developed for employment in DoD power systems at an early date.

Who wrote this? Where?

Betruger · Post by **Betruger** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 4:03 pm

joedead wrote:
FY 2007 Accomplishments: The primary objective of this initiative is to revalidate and prove the effectiveness of inertial electrostatic confinement using the polyhedral magnetic field systems studied over the previous 19 years of R&D. The final success of the last tests in CY2005 will be reproduced and results validated by experiments on two more machines to prove that the entire concept, applicable to boron/hydrogen reactions, can and does work and can be developed for employment in DoD power systems at an early date.
Who wrote this? Where?

Second link in this post:

alexjrgreen wrote:
Billy Catringer wrote:Personally, I think that the Navy is simply trying to keep DOE out of their business. I don't blame them, either.
Since 2003:

http://www.fbodaily.com/archive/2003/03 ... 279343.htm

http://www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum/Y200 ... 826D8Z.pdf

Rick Kwan · Post by **Rick Kwan** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:45 pm

FY 2007 Accomplishments: The primary objective of this initiative is to revalidate and prove the effectiveness of inertial electrostatic confinement using the polyhedral magnetic field systems studied over the previous 19 years of R&D. The final success of the last tests in CY2005 will be reproduced and results validated by experiments on two more machines to prove that the entire concept, applicable to boron/hydrogen reactions, can and does work and can be developed for employment in DoD power systems at an early date.

I think it's time for me to re-examine my rocket propulsion fantasies. Liquid hydrogen and boron in a combustion chamber!

(followed by rocket engineer scratching his head...) How does that chemistry yield net energy?

That is one piece of creative writing. No mention of "fusion" or "nuclear" anywhere.