I hope some good science and engineering are coming out of this, because American taxpayers have been pouring money down the fusion rat-hole for over 40 years. From my ignorant layman's perspective, I just don't see recovering more usable energy than the energy put in happening. It's been "30 years away" for the past 40 years.<p>Not everything is a matter of time. I'm not saying man's ingenuity won't figure it out, but the only place nuclear fusion takes place in nature is in stars, and that's powered by the pressure of a huge amount of mass, which can never be recreated on Earth. There has never been a goal-oriented technology project that has lasted this long, spent this much treasure, and produced so few results. Even brilliant people can engage in wishful thinking.