Yes - the fussion bomb (the early ones anyway) need a fission bomb to set them off - I always fopund that rather scary!
When they (scientists) figure out how to sustain a fusion reaction and control it, I will be very, very excited. We will have arrived into an age that could theoretically mean lots and lots of cheap electricity that is produced cleanly. Then the hydrogen economy just may be one more step closer to a the real world.
I hope I get to see this in my life time...
Yes - this is something I have always wanted to see - I can get quite emotional about thinking about it. I aways feel we could have worked a bit harder in getting there really - The JET torus in the UK back in the 90's was the first reactor (fussion) to 'break even' (for a matter of seconds). Strangley, at a B&B one day I met someone who worked there - we talked about the JET and he'd told me that they actually had it going for over a minute!!!!!! but this kind of info doesn't get put in the newspapers - too many important stories, such as, which princess is wearing new shoes and stuff like that to publish. Heck - it didn't even make the paper when they first managed break even!! I would have thought that would have been front page news! - sorry - starting to rant.
Anyone know how we are doing nowadays wrt fusion reactors? Last I heard their was going to be another torus build as part of an international collaboration, but haven't heard anything - I'll have to look it up on google or something to get more info.