Nuclear Fusion: Inside the breakthrough that could change our world | 60 Minutes

On December 5th, scientists at the National Ignition Facility reached a breakthrough in nuclear fusion by producing a reaction with an energy gain. It could be a step toward a world in the distant future where fusion is a source of power.

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[BenisGaming]

My Grandpa Worked on the Lasers in the Livermore Labs for 30 years, he retired 10 years ago and died 3 years ago. If he was still here he would have been elated to see everything him and his team's work did to help get us to the first step to a great future for humanity.

[SmokeyChipOatley]

Not to overstate the significance of this achievement since there are many substantial hurdles to overcome before this is anywhere near viable for commercial power production, but I still feel like I’m seeing a glimpse into the earliest stages of a technology that will one day change the world. Being in my mid 30s currently I’m hopeful it will happen in my lifetime.

[TheFatblob]

Gotta say, I'm surprised this was actually a pretty good segment. Most every news segment I saw about this experiment covered it with such blind fervor, almost no one pointed out its shortcomings

[octechperson]

My UCLA Physics class took a field trip here 25 years ago. They were working on this project even back then. I don't remember much about college but I remember that trip and the lab - what an amazing treat for our class.

[billlyon]

Our special needs daughter, who had a nickname of Star Girl, died on December 5th… The day they brought star power to earth… I know, it only means something to me, but thought I’d share anyway

[chiragojha]

Shout out to Dr. Octavius. What you had achieved way back in 2004, the world seems to be catching up now..

Your legacy and contribution to Science will always be remembered.

May your soul rest in peace.. and may you come back again in Spider-man 4

[rdylanpope]

It’s hard to explain what a game changer the abundance of cheap, clean energy will be. Congratulations to everyone who dedicated their careers to working on this

[hwgusn]

Fusion within a decade has been the goal for 60 years.

[rdylanpope]

“From a machine, a star is born” is so deep.

[Polymathically]

Years ago, I took a course on energy engineering as part of my degree. There was only a brief chapter on fusion energy, and how unlikely it was. I never thought they'd actually make this breakthrough in my lifetime. Amazing. Edit: FFS, people. Enough with the needless nitpicking and bickering. Of course I know this is far from viable. The fact they've actually made progress and reached this point is what's impressive. That's the entire point of this video. Seriously, I didn't think I needed to explain something that obvious. I swear, it's like some people are just waiting to type some variation of, "well, actually" at any opportunity and waste time arguing over nothing.

[LimitbreakerStudios]

"The power of the sun in the palm of my hand" - Otto Octavius, 2004

[Al-oklj]

“The power of the sun. In the palm of my hand.”
-Otto Octavius

[tbtlh]

It is awesome to see 60 Minutes still producing quality content even in new age media. I watch a lot of channels that have covered this but I haven't had the pleasure to see it presented through this lense. This vid is definitely a keeper.

[jwc]

"It's not a science problem anymore - it's an engineering problem" - Accurate description.
Science is painful, takes unseen amount of effort... But engineering can be exponential.

[errans_luxx]

Surprisingly good segment. The engineering that went into building the facility alone is extremely impressive.

[shadowskill]

I never forgot when my high school AP Physics class booked us a field trip to go see an experimental fusion reactor back in '98. Way better than the continuous trips to Disneyland you usually got in Southern California at the time.

[Muonium]

Here on the other side of the country at the world's second highest energy fusion laser in Rochester NY, we can do about 8 or 10 shots per day, and do much of the underlying validation work for the more powerful and more expensive shots then taken on NIF. If you have a serious interest in lasers and nuclear fusion I have several old documentaries from the 70s and 80s on my channel which illustrate the very long and arduous path that it has taken for us to get to this point. After 10 years of failing to ignite its DT capsules when most scientists expected it to happen in the first year or two on NIF, it came as a huge shock to many here when it finally did happen over the past year. Keep in mind that even if this technique of laser inertial confinement fusion can't be turned into a new source of power, it is still an enormously important new tool in physics. The neutron fluxes that are achieved in a 3 megajoule shot like the one last month are absolutely stupendous, and exceed in brightness that of any other source available to scientists, and the temperatures and densities able to be reached in these ignited, burning capsules are found only at the cores of planets and large stars. This is literally a tool to bring exotic pieces of the high energy universe into the laboratory for the first time in history. Regardless of whether it ever powers the lights in your house, it is undoubtedly going to open up whole new areas of study in experimental physics and astronomy which until now were effectively unthinkable.

[JGunit]

It's amazing how big that place is considering how small the final area of ignition point is.

[nickn.]

5:30
I made that aluminum part that holds the silver pellet. Diamond turned to replicate a mirror finish. One of the most difficult parts I have ever machined.

[deoxi]

6:36 That line, as well as the little exhale that someone has before bursting into laughter is precious. No one has ever said that sentence in that tone before I bet.