Fusion Reactions: The Expanse

For Fusion Energy Week 2024, we asked ORNL fusion scientists and engineers to react to depictions of fusion energy in pop culture and separate fusion fact from fiction.

In Part Two of the "Fusion Reactions" series, they look at fusion-powered spaceflight in "The Expanse," an epic sci-fi series set hundreds of years in the future, when humans have colonized the solar system thanks to the development of powerful spaceship drives driven by inertial confinement fusion. In the clip, the protagonists aboard The Rocinante encounter an issue with the fuel pellets in their reactor, leaving them stranded on the edges of known space. Our reacting fusioneers look at how realistic the reactor design is, its parallels with real devices here on Earth, and whether the show's chosen fuels of choice – deuterium and helium-3 – would actually work.

#fusion #fusionenergy #reaction #fusionenergyweek

Image & Video Attributions:
– "The Expanse" property of Amazon Studios
– Fuel pellet image courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory
– Space background image - ESO/IDA/Danish 1.5 m/ R. Gendler, U.G. Jørgensen, J. Skottfelt, K. Harpsøe, Pismis 24, CC BY 4.0

This video is intended for educational purposes only. Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976: Allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.

[Forshledian]

The Expanse (Amazon Prime Video) is worth the watch for anyone who enjoys a good space show. While not perfect, the physics in this show are more accurate to real life than most space shows. I think the best example of this is that there is no artificial gravity. They do "make" gravity however by using these very advanced "Epstine Drive" fusion reactors shown in this video. These fictional reactors are capable of producing many G's of thrust for sustained periods. They typically burn at about 1G of acceleration for days/weeks on end to produce "gravity". Half way to their destination and at a very high velocity, they actually cut the burn, flip 180 deg and then decelerate at 1G to their destination. Its this attempt to match real life physics, that makes this show, in my opinion, worth the watch. Especially if you are on this YouTube channel reading this comment :) This is basically proof you are a near and are probably proud of it like I am.

[Brownyman]

There's a little bit of Naomi Nagata in all of you 👍