Nuclear fusion research. Construction of a target chamber that will house 192 lasers for fusion research. The beams will be focused on a target in a vacuum, producing a total energy of 1.8 megajoules. When in service at the NIF (National Ignition Facility), California, USA, it will be used to investigate the fusion of hydrogen nuclei and the viability of fusion as an energy source. Nuclear fusion is the joining (fusing) of light elements to form heavier elements, which releases large amounts of energy. It is hoped that fusion will be a clean, renewable energy source for the future. Photographed in June 2000.