Tech | November 17, 2008 | 17 comments

Large Hadron Collider repairs to cost $21 million

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27766369/

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Crazyotto
GENEVA - Fixing the world's largest atom smasher will cost at least $21 millionand may take until early summer, its operator said Monday.

An electrical failure shut down the Large Hadron Collider on Sept. 19, nine days after the $10 billion machine started up with great fanfare.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research recently said that the repairs would be completed by May or early June. Spokesman James Gillies said the organization know as CERN is now estimating the restart will be at the end of June or later.

"If we can do it sooner, all well and good. But I think we can do it realistically (in) early summer," he said.

The organization has blamed the shutdown on the failure of a single, badly soldered electrical connection.

The atom smasher operates at temperatures colder than outer space to get maximum efficiency and experts needed to gradually warm the damaged section to better assess it, he said.

"Now the sector is warm so they are able to go in and physically look at each of the interconnections," Gillies told The Associated Press.



more at link....


Fix the LHC faster! I want to see what happens next...
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17 comments // Large Hadron Collider repairs to cost $21 million

  • LozRiva
  • MiguelSanchez
  • Jayface89
    • 0
      Jayface89  

    • Really people....is it worth it.
      It's all very well saying 'how did the universe start', blah blah blah. But maybe we should concentrate on the messed-up world we have NOW.
      break it up sell the pieces on eBay and then give the money to a charity.
      Imagine your in africa and a like 40 african brink of starvation children run up to you and ask you about the LHC, and ask how much does it cost?
      Would you be able to tell them, that when someone in the street comes up to you and asks for charity you shirk it off and turn up your iPod, but you won't blink an eye at a giant magnetic kids toy that breaks and costs $21 million to repair.
      Yeah Iraq costs more, doesn't justify the amount though.

    • 3 years ago
  • unimatrix0
  • RubberRims
    • 0
      RubberRims  

    • This device is the largest toy we have ever had the misfortune to play with and it is already Brocken.

      I believe there should never be a price placed on science. When do you think the world will come to realise this. Also a project like this should never have to show capital expenditure, just show us the fruits of your labour and if you have none. Bigger fools we all are for thinking we have the ability to look at the very fabric of space and time, and pretend we understand.

    • 3 years ago
  • blanch
  • cynker
  • JCTV
  • MiguelSanchez
  • seeker561
    • 0
      seeker561  

    • A $21million repair bill on a $10 billon project is like putting a new fanbelt on your car.

      And don't forget that $10 billion is about the cost of one month of the war in Iraq, which is my nominee for the "biggest waste of money ever".

    • 3 years ago
  • ProfessorFunk
  • ProfessorFunk
  • krush_productions
  • tbowman131
    • 0
      tbowman131  
    • krush_productions:

      you're absolutely right, no earth shattering results in the first few weeks of testing? off with their heads!

      those crazy scientist are always trying to waste money on pointless research. what has science ever done for us?!

    • 3 years ago
  • cynker
  • UrbanGypsy
  • phillyharper
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