Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS-2024) Plenary SPeaker

Richard (Dick) Malenfant

Guest Scientist
Los Alamos National Laboratory

US Air Force Nuclear Research Officer (retired)

Richard (Dick) Malenfant joined the critical experiments facility at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in January 1961 following a tour of active duty in the US Air Force as a nuclear research officer. He retired from full-time employment in 1996 and continues his association with the laboratory as a Guest Scientist. His special interests include the history of the Manhattan Project, nuclear propulsion, criticality safety, and radiation protection and shielding. Perhaps no program better illustrates the idiom that indicates the importance of paying attention to the smallest aspects of a task than the application of nuclear energy to rocket propulsion. Even now, after 65 years of association with programs such as Kiwi, Rover, Phoebus, Dumbo, and NRX; he is in awe of the small aspects of the nuclear propulsion programs that had to be overcome. Radiation heating rates that would melt tungsten, pumping 350 pounds of liquid hydrogen per second at 1/14^th of the density of water, and the reaction of hot hydrogen and graphite to produce methane are illustrative of the small aspects of the problems that are often forgotten and will discuss them further.