The Decline and Fall of the Superconducting Super Collider

University Of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA

Investigators

Abstract

Introduction: This proposal seeks to carry out further research on the failure of SSC (the superconducting super collider) project in order to produce an extended monograph on the topic. As yet, there is no comprehensive history of the SSC that discusses the diverse scientific, technological, economic, and political influences that initially worked together to get the project launched but subsequently led its demise. The research team has already gathered much of the information and has published shorter journal articles on the subject. The primary goal of the project is to fill in critical gaps that the researchers identify in the proposal. To date, they perceive a dearth of in-depth oral history interviews with crucial physicists who did not join the SSC laboratory, and arrangements for such interviews have been made. In addition, none of the SSC project managers have participated in oral history interviews, and a number of them have agreed to do so. The researchers already have records of such interviews with many DOE officials, but there is a serious need to complement these interviews by doing research in documents, which is part of the program of work. Another area that will receive attention is the refusal of the European high-energy physics community to participate as equal partners in SSC. Extended interviews with key European physicists will be done; others will be identified and interviewed as part of the process. Interviews with Japanese physicists have already been conducted, and this material will be incorporated into the monograph that is to be produced. Political aspects of the international components will be integrated into the story. Finally, additional attention will be devoted to providing a considered understanding of the conflicting narratives developed by SSC's supporters and opponents and how that served to shape public discourse. Intellectual Merit: The reasons for the failure of the SSC were many and complex. The researchers have managed to connect with many of the persons, organizations, and areas which contributed to the final result. Having these components enumerated and their contributions made clear (to the extent that this is possible) will be of great service to the practitioners of particle physics as well as to those charged with stewardship for this science. The resulting detailed presentation and analysis of the history of the SSC will be invaluable in light of the very impressive quantity of materials (documents, interviews, etc.) the researchers will have collected and assembled. Broader Impact: The final report of this project will be a key contribution to the history of contemporary science, and to an understanding of the development, funding, and support of large-scale scientific-technical-engineering projects. The proposed activity will also result in important contributions to our understanding of the factors responsible for the public and governmental support of basic science, applied science, and technology. These in turn will be valuable resources in the teaching of the interaction between science and technology and the culture at large, and most importantly in the role that international cooperation and international institutions will play in the future when considering such large projects as the Large Hadron Collider, the space station, investigations of global climate change, large scale geophysical projects, and genomics.