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Division Spotlight
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Jun 2025
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2025
Nuclear Technology
July 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Nuclear fuel cycle reimagined: Powering the next frontiers from nuclear waste
In the fall of 2023, a small Zeno Power team accomplished a major feat: they demonstrated the first strontium-90 heat source in decades—and the first-ever by a commercial company.
Zeno Power worked with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to fabricate and validate this Z1 heat source design at the lab’s Radiochemical Processing Laboratory. The Z1 demonstration heralded renewed interest in developing radioisotope power system (RPS) technology. In early 2025, the heat source was disassembled, and the Sr-90 was returned to the U.S. Department of Energy for continued use.
Technical Session
Wednesday, May 10, 2023|1:30–3:10PM MDT|Boise Room
Session Chair:
Ethan Chaleff (Ultra Safe Nuclear)
Session Organizer:
Alternate Chair:
Michael G. Houts
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Reactor Parametric Assessments for Alternative Propellant Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Engines
1:30–1:50PM MDT
Corey Smith (Analytical Mechanics Assoc.), Daria Nikitaeva (Analytical Mechanics Assoc.), Jacob Stonehill (Analytical Mechanics Assoc.), Matthew Duchek (Analytical Mechanics Assoc.)
Paper
Ground Test Technology Demonstration for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Engines
1:50–2:10PM MDT
Ricky Sasmal (Analytical Mechanics Assoc.), Lindsey Holmes (Analytical Mechanics Assoc.), Jim Rector (Analytical Mechanics Assoc.), Marcus Neely (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center)
Nuclear Thermal Propulsion vs. LOX/LH2 Chemical Propulsion for Cislunar Architectures
2:10–2:30PM MDT
Christopher B. Reynolds (Aerojet Rocketdyne), C. Russell Joyner II (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Timothy Kokan (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Daniel J.H. Levack (Aerojet Rocketdyne)
Exploring the Feasibility of Kuiper Belt Missions Supported by Centrifugal Nuclear Thermal Propulsion
2:30–2:50PM MDT
William Ziehm (Univ. Alabama, Huntsville), L. Dale Thomas (Univ. Alabama, Huntsville)
Preliminary Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Engine System Trades for Robotic Missions to Jupiter
2:50–3:10PM MDT
Saroj Kumar (Univ. Alabama, Hunstville), L. Dale Thomas (Univ. Alabama, Hunstville), Jason T. Cassibry (Univ. Alabama, Hunstville)
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