Reaching for the Stars (1964)

Presented by the Texas Atomic Energy Research Foundation (TAERF) and the General Dynamics Corporation General Atomic Division, this 1960s educational film reports on efforts to achieve a controlled thermonuclear reaction. After introducing the research project, the film defines fusion and the challenges of its engineering. The necessary conditions do not naturally occur on Earth. Next, it visits the General Atomics laboratory in San Diego as well as the science facilities at the University of Texas at Austin to highlight ongoing research and testing. One theory the film explores in greater detail is the gun-shot method, with the resulting hot plasma trapped in a magnetic bottle. “Reaching for the Stars” was originally produced in 1960, but was rereleased in 1964 to incorporate additional footage shot at the University of Texas. TAERF was a consortium of ten power companies operating in Texas that supported plasma research at General Atomics and the University of Texas.