Science Wrap: Nuclear fusion breakthrough, Agni V launch, and Orion comes back

This week in science, it’s time to brush up on whatever you learnt about nuclear fusion and fission in high-school physics because scientists have had a major breakthrough that can help in creating Earth’s own Sun-like power source.

Most of the other science news relates to the cosmos with a visually-stunning meteor shower, Artemis-1’s Orion spacecraft splashing back on Earth, and the launch of the Indian rocket Agni-V. 

1. California scientists achieve nuclear fusion ignition

The subheading might come off as a mouthful so let’s first revise our basic concepts of nuclear fusion and fission. Fusion happens when two light nuclei combine to form heavier nuclei (or subatomic particles), leading to either the release or absorption of energy. Fission, on the other hand, deals with an atom splitting into two or more smaller parts. 

Fusion is the same process that powers the sun while fission is what can be seen in Earth’s nuclear reactors. For years, scientists have been trying to recreate the ideal conditions for nuclear fusion without any damaging aftereffects. The problem has also been that no nuclear fusion experiment has been able to produce more energy than what was put in to make the process take place.

But on December 5, that has changed and humanity is one step closer at creating a Sun-like energy source much like Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man 2!

Since the 1930s, this is the first time that scientists have found a way to make more energy from nuclear fusion than what was put into it.  The experiment was conducted at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California. 

According to LLNL’s press release, the scientists directed 192 individual laser beams to fire over 2 million joules of ultraviolet energy at a miniscule fuel capsule nestled at the heart of a machine the size of a “sports stadium”. 

2. Agni V takes off from APJ Abdul Kalam Island

Agni V, the long-range, nuclear capable, surface-to-surface ballistic missile from India, took off from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island (off the coast of Odisha) on December 16 paving the way its inclusion in the country’s strategic forces. 

Developed under the aegis of the late “rocket man” Abdul Kalam, the Agni 1-4 missiles have had striking ranges from 700 to 3,500 kms. Now, that range has considerably increased with Agni V taking it up to somewhere between 5,000 and 5,5000 kms. This means that the new rocket’s striking range can include almost the entirety of Asia and some parts of Europe. 

3. Orion comes back home, parts to be used for other missions

The Orion spacecraft aboard the SLS rocket on the Artemis 1 mission by NASA has finally splashed back in the Pacific Ocean. The spacecraft was launched on November 16 and carried three mannequins, covering nearly 270,000 miles from Earth. This is more than 1,000 times farther than where the International Space Station orbits the planet. 

Heading back to a NASA port in San Diego, some of Orion’s parts would be reused with the future versions of the spacecraft, hopefully carrying astronauts. The next Artemis mission would be a crewed visit to the moon occurring most probably in 2024. 

4. Night skies light up with the Geminid meteor showers

This year’s Geminid meteor showers took place between December 14 and 15. As per NASA and other space organisations, these are the most reliable annual meteor showers. 

Usually when the weather is clear and when the shower coincides with the new moon, people can witness up to 100-150 meteors. However, this year, with the moon being too bright, only 30-40 meteors could be viewed in an hour in the Northern hemisphere. Still, the bright meteor shower made for some visually stunning snapshots. 

What makes the Geminids unique is that unlike most other meteor showers, they emerge from asteroids instead of comets. The asteroid in this case is the 3200 Phateon, a celestial body that was discovered in 1983 and takes 1.4 years to revolve around the Sun. As it moves closer to the Sun, fragments heat up and break off with the debris passing through the Earth sky as the Geminids.