Cliques within the ITT Team.

Reflections on fusion history, current events, and predictions for the 'fusion powered future.
Post Reply
User avatar
Richard Hull
Moderator
Posts: 14992
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2001 9:44 am
Real name: Richard Hull

Cliques within the ITT Team.

Post by Richard Hull »

Another history lesson..............

This is little known and will be part of some exposition I produce in future, but there were at least three internal cliques based on personality differences, internal wranglings and other subtle and not so subtle issues within the ITT fusion effort. All was kept at low key levels and internal to the group. This division from within certainly rarely broiled up to the "Admiral's" level, or he would have kicked a whole lot of butt, I am sure.

The three units for the record consisted of....

1. Farnsworth, Bain, Haak and Jack Fisher
2. Hirsch, Meeks
3. Meeks

All three entities had their own separate fusors and separate ideas. This division was most pronounced after 1964 and was a direct result of the failures over the past 4 years to do fusion to any significant level.

The "loyalists" (group #1) were following Farnsowrth's ideas.
The "rebels" (group #2) were following Hirsch's ideas
The Meeks effort saw Gene Meeks actually given a fusor station and allowed to follow his thoughts. (group #3) This was with the acquiescence of Farnsworth and Hirsch and only near the bitter end. (1966-67).

It is generally agreed by all alive that the Hirsch effort was the most successful and achieve the highest numbers. It is somewhat nebulous as to whether the lesser Farnsworth efforts ever utilized Tritium. If so the Farnsworth machines should have done better, in theory.

Only the Farnsworth machine has a tale of possible runaway fusion associated with it and it is not from the book by Pem Farnsworth that the tale arises.

A fully gunned fusor by Hirsch and Meeks has an even stranger tale associated with it. with a possible separate similar incident told by Bain of a Farnsworth device.

More perhaps later.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
Post Reply

Return to “Fusion --- Past, Present, and Future”