The Genius of Louis Pasteur

FUSION
SCIENCE • TECHNOLOGY • ECONOMICS • POLITICS
Vol. 8, No. 5 September-October 1986
Features
19 Louis Pasteur: Father of Today's Optical Biophysics
by Warren ]. Hamerman
Pasteur's geometric approach to biology—in the tradition of Cusa,
Leonardo da Vinci, Kepler, and Leibniz—is the foundation of today's
(and tomorrow's) frontier area of optical biophysics.
32 Back to the Moon and On to Mars!
by Marsha Freeman
The Commission on Space sets a national goal: A 50-year mission to
colonize the Moon and Mars—and in the process revitalize the
economy and restore the nation's cultural optimism.
38 Space Commission Chairman Talks About America in Space
An interview with Tom Paine, former NASA administrator and chairman
of the National Commission on Space.
40 Breakthrough Near in Search for AIDS Vaccine
by John Grauerholz, M.D.
A new medical discovery promises not only to detect carriers of the
AIDS virus, but also to prevent these carriers from developing the lethal
disease.
News
8
9
10
11
14
17
45
48
50
54
NUCLEAR REPORT
Chernobyl and the 'Big Lie' About U.S. Nuclear Safety
An Interview with Dr. Joseph M. Hendrie
An Interview with Dr. Richard Wilson
FUSION REPORT
Fusion at the 'Breakout' Point
Laser Fusion in Japan:
A U.S. Laser Scientist Reports
CONFERENCE REPORT
Pasteur's Method Revived in FEF Paris Conference
BEAM TECHNOLOGY REPORT
Teller Confirms X-ray Laser Breakthrough
LLNL Announces Breakthrough In Free Electron Laser Work
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST
Nuclear Safety: Chernobyl Vs. Western Reactors
The Fall Sky: Viewing Andromeda and Pegasus
Departments
2 EDITORIAL
3 LETTERS
4 VIEWPOINT
6 NEWS BRIEFS
56 BOOKS
60 BOOKS RECEIVED
EDITORIAL STAFF
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David Cherry
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Alan Yue
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Carlos de Hoyos
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ISSN 0148-0537 USPS 437-370
On the cover: Portrait of Pasteur in his laboratory,
by M. Edelfelt, in the Pasteur Museum
of the Pasteur Institute in Paris.