Riemann's Contribution to Flight and Laser Fusion

WashingtonAdvanced Energy BudgetIn Holding Pattern; Worse to ComeNone of the Department of Energy'sadvanced energy programsmade it through the past months'budget-cutting process unscathed,but for the time being most managedto hold on to the majority of theirprojects.The magnetic fusion program, oneof the principal battlegrounds of thisyear's budget debate, maintained itsfiscal 1981 level of funding. However,this leaves the final budget at least $50million short of the amount mandatedby the Magnetic Fusion Energy EngineeringAct of 1980. The design workfor the congressionally mandated FusionEngineering Device (FED) is notupgraded or accelerated in the fiscal1982 budget, nor has the Reagan administrationformally decided to givethe go-ahead for the FED, to have iton line by 1990 as scheduled. (SeeFusion Report, p. 21 for details.)In early July, the Senate-House authorizationconference settled on a$473.5 million level for fiscal 1982.However, the House AppropriationsSubcommittee on Energy and Watercut that figure to $447 million, ensuringthat no new project starts or upgradeddesign work on the FED willtake place. As of this writing, theappropriations committee on theSenate side has yet to act on theDOE's fiscal 1982 request for magneticfusion. If the Senate appropriatesmore than the $447 million figure,then the appropriations bill will go toSenate-House conferenceMHD Lobby FormedOne of the advanced R&D programscut to zero in the Reagan administration'sbudget was the magnetohydrodynamics(MHD) programfor efficient energy conversion. In response,contractors and potential utilityusers of MHD technology bandedtogether for the first time andlaunched a lobbying effort that succeededin restoring $29 million, al-The Reaganadministration has notdecided to give thego-ahead for the FED.most half the fiscal 1981 funding forthe program.The formation and activities of thisusers group was one of the main topicsof discussion at the MHD conferenceheld at the University of Tennessee'sSpace Institute June 15 to 17,the 19th Symposium on EngineeringAspects of MHD. In his address to themeeting, Dr. Heinz Pfeiffer of PennsylvaniaPower and Light reportedthat more than a dozen utilities havejoined the lobbying group, and hechastised the scientific and industrypeople involved in MHD developmentfor not taking "the informationand potential value of MHD to decision-makers"sooner.Pfeiffer recommended that the advancesin coal research coming out ofthe MHD program be brought to theattention of policymakers on a regularbasis.. Breeder Program Back on TrackA similar industry mobilization tookplace last spring in response to thethreatened shutdown of the ClinchRiver Breeder Reactor in Tennessee,the only U.S. demonstration fastbreeder project. When the authorizingHouse Committee on Science andTechnology voted to terminate theproject in June, industry contractorssolicited statements of support fromgroups such as Scientists and Engineersfor Secure Energy. These wereentered in the Congressional Recordby the committee leadership alongwith the minority's probreeder position.A Senate-House conference committeehas now authorized $228 millionfor Clinch River in fiscal 1982,and the appropriations committeesare expected to follow suit.Prospects for FY 1983By mid-September, the DOE andother federal agencies must submittheir budget requests for fiscal year1983. The prospects that the advancedenergy programs will continue tosqueak by without major cutbacks arenot good, Capitol Hill sources report.With interest rates still at record highlevels, and no letup in the budgetcuttingfever in Washington, industry,the scientific community, and thepublic will have to maintain a highprofile if the DOE's advanced R&Dprograms are to survive and go forward.Remote Sensing:Is the U.S.Losing Its Lead?Recent congressional hearings onthe U.S. remote sensing program revealednot only that the United Stateshas no plans to launch new remotesensing satellite systems after 1983,but that France is on track to surpassthe U.S. lead in this area in 1984.The hearings, held July 22 and 23by the space subcommittees of theHouse Science and Technology andSenate Commerce Committees, wereprompted by concern in Congressthat the United States is falling behindother nations in this important area ofspace applications.The United States pioneered Earthremote sensing in the 1960s with itsmeteorological satellites. These delicatedevices have since gathered dataon crop conditions, agricultural pestsand diseases, snow cover in the win-52 FUSION October-November 1981 Washington