Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works is developing a fusion reactor

Lockheed Martin has announced its Skunk Works has been working on a fusion reactor, in the hopes of meeting the world’s demands for energy. The compact fusion reactor, or CFR, is safer, cleaner, and more powerful than existing nuclear reactors, according to an Aviation Week article. Fusion happens when two or more high-energy atoms collide, creating a new atomic nucleus and releasing a great deal of energy, provided that the atoms being crunched together have a lower atomic mass than iron. It’s how the sun shines: by slamming together high-energy hydrogen particles, and in so doing, creating helium atoms.