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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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A year in orbit: ISS deployment tests radiation detectors for future space missions
The predawn darkness on a cool Florida night was shattered by the ignition of nine Merlin engines on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The thrust of the engines shook the ground miles away. From a distance, the rocket appeared to slowly rise above the horizon. For the cargo onboard, the launch was anything but gentle, as the ignition of liquid oxygen generated more than 1.5 million pounds of force. After the rocket had been out of sight for several minutes, the booster dramatically returned to Earth with several sonic booms in a captivating show of engineering designed to make space travel less expensive and more sustainable.
Technical Session
Monday, May 8, 2023|1:30–3:10PM MDT|Boise Room
Session Chair:
Kurt Polzin
Session Organizer:
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ECSPLORER: A Pre-Conceptual Design of an Electronuclear System for Space
1:30–1:50PM MDT
F. Bertrand (CEA), J.B. Droin (CEA), M. Charlier (CEA), T. Daulle (CEA), Y. Gorsse (CEA), A. Entringer (CEA), P. Allegre (CEA), A. Gerschenfeld (CEA), E. Proust (CEA), P. Bultel (CNES)
Paper
Design of a 10 MWth Heat Pipe-Cooled Reactor for Nuclear Electric Propulsion Applications
1:50–2:10PM MDT
Aaron She (Ultra Safe Nuclear), Nolan MacDonald (Ultra Safe Nuclear), Doug Grieson (Ultra Safe Nuclear), Wesley Deason (Ultra Safe Nuclear), Jeffrey Diebold (Advanced Cooling Technologies), Calin Tarau (Advanced Cooling Technologies)
Attachment
Parametric Analysis of the Design Point for a Centrifugal Nuclear Thermal Rocket Fuel Element
2:10–2:30PM MDT
Joel Krakower (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center), David Austin (Drexel Univ.), Dhruv Shah (Drexel Univ.), Yanni Tsetsekos (Drexel Univ.)
Design and Performance Analysis of a Radial-Inflow Turbine for the Centrifugal Nuclear Thermal Rocket
2:30–2:50PM MDT
Joel Krakower (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center)
Nuclear Electric Propulsion Flight Demonstrator Vehicle and Mission Concept
2:50–3:10PM MDT
Timothy Kokan (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Jacob Evans (Aerojet Rocketdyne), C. Russell Joyner II (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Daniel J. H. Levack (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Brian J. Muzek (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Rodney W. Noble (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Christopher B. Reynolds (Aerojet Rocketdyne)
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