Catching the sun

摘要

Avast earth platform looms into view above the treetops of Cadarache in France's sultry south-east. It measures 1 kilometre long by 400 metres wide, and excavators dotted around it are digging out pits to be filled with massive, earthquake-proof concrete foundations. These foundations need to be strong: 18 giant, supercooled superconducting magnets, each weighing 360 tonnes, will be part of a payload totalling 23,000 tonnes. This is the site of ITER, an international scientific collaboration with funding of €15 billion.