Previously, I posted about the danger of the CERN Hadron collider accidentally creating a black hole that would swallow first Switzerland, then the rest of the earth. The event, if it were to occur, could presumably look like this –
The good news is that when scientists threw the switch, back in September, there was a problem with one of the cooling units and they had to turn it off again. Instead of the machine coming on line in December 2008, oblivion was postponed until January 2009, which is when they estimated they could get a repairman to come fix it. (My previous posts on the travails of the CERN Hadron collider are here and here).
Well, there’s more good news. It seems that it will now take even longer, perhaps until June 2009, before they can fix the cooling system and throw the switch a second time. From a CERN press release about the repairs –
The initial malfunction was caused by a faulty electrical connection between two of the accelerator’s magnets. This resulted in mechanical damage and release of helium from the magnet cold mass into the tunnel. Proper safety procedures were in force, the safety systems performed as expected, and no one was put at risk.
Detailed studies of the malfunction have allowed the LHC’s engineers to identify means of preventing a similar incident from reoccurring in the future, and to design new protection systems for the machine. A total of 53 magnet units have to be removed from the tunnel for cleaning or repair, of these, 28 have already been brought to the surface and the first two replacement units have been installed in the tunnel. The current schedule foresees the final magnet being reinstalled by the end of March 2009, with the LHC being cold and ready for powering tests by the end of June 2009.
I know the CERN people mean well. I know the idea behind the press release is to tell the world that they have a handle on things, but reading it makes me wonder if they know what they are doing. An electrical short causes the cooling system to break down and their solution is to dismantle half the machine. What started as a problem with two magnets ended up requiring the replacement of 53 magnets. Everyone knows that when you have a problem with a refrigerator, you call the Maytag repairman, not some guy who looks like Dr. Evil.
versus 
In any case, they won’t try to throw the switch on oblivion again for a few more months, so relax. Enjoy. Everything is under control.
Source: “LHC to restart in 2009,” CERN Press Release (Dec. 5, 2008)