Mankind has an eternal fascination with the sun. Understandable. The center of the universe, the fire in the sky around which all life revolves. We adore it, raising our hands and reaching up to seek its warmth. We are desperate without it. Without the sun, the darkness of life and spirit occurs. We basked and baked in it, flocked to the beaches, drenched in oil, literally baked in its rays. We need it for everything to grow and sustain life, and so have tried to harness its incredible power in various ways. This has produced mixed results. On the bright side of the ledger–solar! As an example. On the flip side, has anyone forgotten Dr. Ock? “The power of the sun in the palm of my hand!” Okay, keep the phone on that one.
The holy grail of transmitting the power of the sun has always been nuclear fusion. Simply put, the goal is to create endless clean, sustainable energy by creating a series of nuclear fusion reactions inside extremely complex facilities, logically known as reactors. nuclear synthesis. The game is to blast the bejesus out of the lighter atomic nuclei, with such force that they fuse into a heavier nucleus and release energy. Scientifically speaking, this is not a walk in the park. Physics, engineering, precision take this super complex boundary to the next level.
NIF just did that. National Ignition Facility, Set location at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in California, has just achieved a result that the energy in (output) is greater than the energy input. There’s still a long way to go, but this is incredibly important news, certainly far more important than a reality TV star taking a break for the holidays.
Below, scientists are depicted with a combination of countless tools in this huge set of moving parts. Elizabeth Dzinitis with timed targets (many of which are evaporated in the shot), and in the close-up, Patrick Crowley first examines the target meticulously and then, smears the substance. bonded with…eyebrows.
I was fortunate enough to have visited NIF twice, several years ago, while it was guided by the visionary. Ed Moses, a physicist understands the value of a photograph, and the fact that scientists cannot simply work behind the scenes, occasionally issue elaborate white papers on joules and gain coefficients and expect want the public to remain interested. Science is fascinating. Science is great. Science is difficult to photograph.
I mentioned the power to blow up atoms is not easily achieved. NIF did it with lasers (there are other types of fusion reactors). But NIF is laser based. 192 of them. I don’t know what exactly, but you can play a soccer game inside the building. As the team “fires,” these lasers are delivered to a target the size of a pencil eraser, which is suspended in the center of a 10-meter-wide target chamber. The explosion happened. 500 trillion watts of electricity, transferred in about 20 billionths of a second. I mean, I love Stonebut Black Adam, avoid aside. (Though enjoyed the movie!)
The target chamber, seen below, was designed to beat the light and was blackened by all the blasts from the test shots. It used to look pristine and sparkling, like the one below, that was the first time I caught a glimpse of it. This giant metal golf ball is so shiny that I only use a flash. Ceiling tube. Ricocheted everywhere.
But not anymore. The nuclear explosions inside the chamber not only darkened it, but also caused it to drip in radiation. This is where I have to go. Going up the elevator, Dave Bower, the man with me, said, as we were going up, “Joe, not too many people get the chance to do this!” A great and enthusiastic guide. Helped me endlessly inside, as I had to work my camera through heavy plastic, gloves, a hazmat suit, forced air, and a visor. And then trying so hard to focus that damn camera. But I had to chuckle. In my head I thought, “Yeah, go into the radiation field! I love my job!”
Ascend into the target chamber below.
Reach the target with John Bower. With the hindrance of the heavy plastic wrapping around my camera, by the way, I really went with the old school of light. Dropping two heavy-duty wardrobes through the doors into the chamber, they are heavily wrapped in plastic. Also lost the sensor eye. Activate the whole damn thing with just one Nikon Speedlight.
Another view of the room. And, as you can see, it’s not shiny and new anymore. It has passed the impact of hundreds of test explosions.
For this view, I have to be tapped and slide down one of the access portals located in the target chamber.
This is where some of the fun begins. I was shooting a 16mm fisheye lens and had to stretch my arms out trying to get that ultra-wide lens through the ports where my lights were dropped. In doing so, my protective suit splits at my wrists and my skin touches the inside of the room. This was observed, of course, and as soon as I stepped out, that area of my arm had to be wiped clean and, as I remember, sampled the skin. I had to have my urine tested in the next three days, etc. About a month later, I got the message that I was not significantly radioactive.
Definitely one of the most unusual and emotional missions I’ve ever had. A window into complexity beyond my imagination. Scientists grapple with the primordial power of the sun Not for the faint of heart. To have faith in this process, happening as it is, as borrowed from Matt Damon in The Martian, they had to “scientificize this”.
So it was an honor to be there, especially with my incredibly talented team. Drew Gurian, Michael Cali, and Mike Grippi.
And me, I just keep on glowing in the dark.
Great story. Great opportunity to capture hard science at work, which I have always enjoyed doing and continue to welcome. In a way, it is symbolic of a photographer’s life and career. Thanks to carrying cameras, we are often allowed to see things that many people cannot. We have a special window into so many different areas of human experience. A blessing of this endeavor.
And another symbol of a photographer’s life? Nat Geo killed the story. Never publish a framework. That’s OK. I have pictures! And still standing, shooting work, camera in hand.
More tk….
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