why not france? a quake could take out the experiment at japan to say the least... and i don't understand why south korea would back japan. besides, methinks france has a more stable terrain, not to mention the hilarity if they ended up ploughing eiffel tower into the moon...

France is too near to us if anything goes wrong; Not In My Backyard (NIMBY)

The idea of making a fusion reactor for power usage is a great idea but (and there is always a but) like all other forms of powerful energy sources..IE atomic and fission, some egg head scientist and dictator with a hardon for smiting the world governments and a want to take over the known world, will turn this miraculous technology in time into a devistating weapon....it is a scary thought to think some terrorist in a few decades could have a bomb with the power of a star!!!

just think of teh book/movie....Sum of All fears....nuff said

"To live is to die....but living is to die slowly..why waste time on trivial things just play as hard as you can"

France decided to bid to construct ITER inside their own homeland? What a switch. I guess they ran out of polynesian islands to exploit while testing their dirtier nuclear weapons.

Current thinking, whether right or wrong, appears to be that fusion reactors are cleaner than fission ones. Certainly uses less fuel to produce the same amount of energy as fission ones.

@Kimk.... Reason why South Korea would endorse the project in Japan is because the idea is to bring the technology into a geographic area. If it is done in France, the technology will be, mainly European. If it is done in Japan, it brings the focus of it into the Far East where South Korea also stands to gain from it. It's one of those "politicized" things about science and technology that, unfortunately, is a fact of life. Besides, if Japan were to win the bid, South Korean and American scientists also would be participants in the project. It would give the NIMBY factor in S. K. ease of mind as well.

What's funny is that the anti-nuclear camp in Japan is quite vocal and it is odd that no mention of it is made in the news piece.

If you look at where the Far East economies are going (mainly Taiwan, S. Korea and Japan... but also China itself but not as directly connected on this issue) the path to continued growth is in the high technology and science sectors. Also, when you consider these three countries and then remember that China (mainland) has awakened, the need to stay ahead of the curve to be able to remain in competition with China should be fairly obvious (you cannot beat mainland China on cheap labor).

Also, it should be obvious why China and Russia would prefer France to win the bid. China because it cannot tolerate any of the other Far East countries being even further ahead of itself in technology, especially fusion technology, and Russia because of the same concern as China but also its historical predisposition against competitor nations in the Far East.

if it does go wrong taw we have to pray the wind isn't blowing north west

I am the Master of Disaster!!!!!!!!

you and me will be ok, Gow, it's ff, grom, and Rec, they'll be radioactive toast.

..how I dearly wish I was not here..

thats if its a nuke that goes of. its a star that's going off in this one. much of europe, save for maybe bits of norway will be vaporised. and S.K is within a good sized' nuke's radiation circle, if it were to be set off in japan. why not hawaii ? its in the middle of nowhere.

Anyone else hear about the new airport terminal in france collapsing? Really encouraging news about French construction quality isn't it?

For what we are about to receive may we all be truly thankful. - Ancient Navy Saying

---

you and me will be ok, Gow, it's ff, grom, and Rec, they'll be radioactive toast.

---

taw! oy! don't think I'm not listening because I'm not replying! It may be the truth...but thats beside the point!!!

Well, much as I love *coughs uncontrallably for several minutes* the French, the Japanese'd probably do a far better job of it, so it should go there.


Confusing, but wise, words of the Corsair:
"If you give me £10, then you will have £10 less. Or do you?"

---

so it'd better go there

---

That way, not only does it get better engineering, but we stay safer

I'm skeptical about whether they will be able to control the reaction. You control fission by using special materials to absorb the neutrons that actually cause the reaction. But you can't do anything like that with fusion, once you start the reaction, it goes until there's no more fuel...

C'mon grom, there's a good side to everything.
If comic books have taught me anything it's that overexposure to radiation is not in fact as deadly as is popularly thought, instead we all get to become mutants with cool super-powers!

ive always wanted laser beam eyes, superstrength, and the power to leap building

Taw - I guess that we're going to have to find an alternative to fossil fules at some stage, but I doubt that that is why Iter is being built. It does seem to be more of an experiment to me.