Superconducting Super Collider

Ever heard of the Superconducting Super Collider before? I certainly hadn't.

In 1983, plans for the Superconducting Super Collider were being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy. Its planned ring circumference was 87.1 kilometers with an energy of 20 TeV per beam of protons – numbers that surpasses those of the now operational Large Hadron Collider by a factor of three (27 kilometer with an energy of 7TeV per beam). The project initial goal was to detect the Higgs Boson. The project began construction in 1991 with a budget of $4.4 billion. In 1993 the project was scrapped when cost projection rose to $12 billion.

It's Interesting to think about what would be different if this project had been completed. The Higgs Boson would have likely been discovered years ago Since the SSC had a head start on the LHC by several years. In addition, the SSC could harness almost three times more energy lending more potential for discoveries.

Instead of contributing to science and our understanding of the universe, the SSC sits abandoned with 22.5 km of tunnel and 2.2 billion dollars spent on it before the project was cut.

http://www.amusingplanet.com/2010/12/abandoned-remains-of-superconducting.html