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Nuclear fusion is often described as creating an “artificial sun.” Scientists aim to generate electricity by copying the way stars produce energy. This innovative approach could provide a cleaner, more sustainable source of energy in the future. There are two ways to get nuclear energy: nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. They work in opposite ways. Nuclear fission splits heavy atoms like uranium apart. This is how today’s nuclear power plants work. Nuclear fusion combines light atoms like hydrogen into larger atoms. This is what the sun does, which is why we call a fusion reactor an “artificial sun.” Nuclear fission power plants generate dangerous waste, which are radioactive for millions of years, creating significant long-term safety concerns. Nuclear fusion, in contrast, has several important advantages. This new technology makes more energy from less fuel. The process uses hydrogen, which is abundant in the ocean, and it generates incredibly large amounts of energy from it. It also produces minimal nuclear waste that only remains dangerously radioactive for a few decades, as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of years that nuclear fission waste remains radioactive for. Scientists have also found new applications for fusion technology in space exploration. A company in the UK called Pulsar Fusion is working on an amazing new type of rocket engine that uses fusion power. This engine, called the Direct Fusion Drive, could change how we travel in space. If this technology works, spaceships could travel up to 805,000 kilometers per hour. This means we could reach Mars in just 14 to 30 days, instead of many months. The same engine could also take us to Saturn in 2 years, much faster than the 8 years current rockets take. Driven by a grand vision, this British company continues to work on its rocket, with a test scheduled for 2027.
