North Korea Announces Achieving Nuclear Fusion

aftertaf writes "North Korea claims to have achieved nuclear fusion by building what it describes as a 'unique thermo-nuclear reaction device.' This announcement was met by skepticism on just about every news website this side of Saturn. Pyongyang claims its latest scientific breakthrough coincides with the birthday of the country's founder and eternal president Kim Il-sung. This is not the first time it seems that the laws of nature have been bent in his honor. According to official biographies, when his son, Kim Jong-il, was born, a new star appeared in the sky." No doubt the Dear Leader combined the atomic nuclei by hand.

Fusion isn't hard.

[pushing-robot]

You could build the equipment [wikipedia.org] yourself.

Getting more energy out of fusion than you put in... that's the hard part.

Re:Don't Discriminate!

[sockonafish]

Technically it's hemispherism.

Some may call it a small thermonuclear reactor ..

[burni2]

I call it H-BOMB

Re:Parked?

[clone53421]

In principle, any orbit with a period equal to the Earth's rotational period is technically geosynchronous; however, the term is often used to refer to the special case of a geosynchronous orbit that is circular (or nearly circular) and at zero (or nearly zero) inclination, that is, directly above the equator. This is customarily called a geostationary orbit.

Re:Parked?

[init100]

Of course, that would make it a bit too conspicuous to be a good spy satellite.

In addition, even the ultra-high-resolution cameras in spy satellites would probably not be of that much use from geostationary orbit (GEO), since GEO is very far away (~36,000 km). Spy satellites are likely put in a polar Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at approx. 200 km altitude. This gives much more detailed images, and also allows the satellite to cover the entire Earth without spending any fuel.

Fusion is easy.

[Futurepower(R)]

Note that experimenters have built Tokamaks and achieved fusion. Fusion is easy. Getting more power out than is put in is difficult.

Re:Now a credible threat to the west.

[clone53421]

I think he missed a few words in there, but what he meant was:

Overpopulation is a pretext for racists [wikipedia.org] to advocate “population control” whereby they hope to address the poverty that breeds itself, particular in certain segments of the population who cannot seem to keep their legs closed. This is all supported with arguments such as follows:

It is a vicious cycle; ignorance breeds poverty and poverty breeds ignorance. There is only one cure for both, and that is to stop breeding these things. Stop bringing to birth children whose inheritance cannot be one of health or intelligence. Stop bringing into the world children whose parents cannot provide for them. Herein lies the key of civilization. For upon the foundation of an enlightened and voluntary motherhood shall a future civilization emerge.

Aww, hell. I’m forgetting where I am. I should’ve just said she was strongly against masturbation...

In my experience as a trained nurse while attending persons afflicted with various and often revolting diseases, no matter what their ailments, I have never found any one so repulsive as the chronic masturbator. It would be difficult not to fill page upon page of heartrending confessions made by young girls, whose lives were blighted by this pernicious habit, always begun so innocently, for even after they have ceased the habit, they find themselves incapable of any relief in the natural act. [...] Perhaps the greatest physical danger to the chronic masturbator is the inability to perform the sexual act naturally.

Now most of Slashdot will be up in arms, I’m sure.

Re:What if..

[DragonWriter]

Had they wanted to, they would have a long time ago,

In point of fact, they did a long time ago.

Re:Don't Discriminate!

[Convector]

Indeed right now all the planets (in our Solar System) are on this side of Saturn [heavens-above.com]. Of course, only two of these can ever be on the far side of it from us. That's right, I'm not counting Pluto as a planet.