Superconducting Super Collider

The Superconducting Super Collider ( SSC ) was a planned particle accelerators, whose construction was canceled in 1993. Seat was Waxahachie in Texas south of Dallas, in its surroundings an underground circular tunnel of 87 km in circumference should be developed in which, for example, protons up to 20 TeV should be accelerated, resulting in a collision energy ( center of mass energy ) of the particle in collider experiments of 40 TeV revealed. Manager was Roy Schwitters.

The first design study was completed in 1983. 1988 Texas was defined as the location and started in 1991 with the construction. Until the termination of the project by the U.S. Congress in 1993 22.5 km tunnel was completed and invested $ 2 billion. Preceded the setting was a heated debate about the explosion of costs that were originally envisaged in 1993 by $ 4.4 billion (1987 ) increased to over 12 billion dollars. Reasons were also the feeling that such prestigious projects after the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union would no longer be needed and a half-hearted support by the new rulers in Texas and the United States (Bill Clinton). Since the budget to the International Space Station ISS approached, it was also argued frequently that the country could be two such expensive projects not afford and could also promote with the same money a number of smaller research projects.