ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
Oklo’s Isotope Test Reactor achieves criticality
Oklo’s Groves Isotope Test Reactor became the fifth Department of Energy–authorized reactor to achieve criticality under the agency’s authorization process, it was announced earlier today.
Criticality was reached at 9:19 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday at the company’s Groves facility in Lockhart, Texas, according to the DOE.
Technical Session|Radioisotope Power Systems
Wednesday, May 7, 2025|10:00–11:40AM CDT|Salon EF (Marriott)
Session Chairs:
Chris Whiting (NASA Glenn Research Center)
Emily Hsu (DOE)
Track Organizer:
Harold Gerrish (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center)
To access paper attachments, you must be logged in and registered for the meeting.
Register NowLog In
Modeling the Performance of a Cascaded Thermionic-Thermoelectric Energy Conversion System for Space Nuclear Power Systems
10:00–10:25AM CDT
Elizabeth D. Juette (Univ. California, Berkeley), Van P. Carey (Univ. California, Berkeley), Jean-Pierre Fleurial (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Paper
A Mixed Methods Approach to Modeling Performance Losses In Thermoelectric Generators Due to Material Sublimation
10:25–10:50AM CDT
Carter D. Gassler (Univ. Pittsburgh), Michael J. Durka (Univ. Pittsburgh), Matthew M. Barry (Univ. Pittsburgh)
Qualification Testing of the ESA Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator
10:50–11:15AM CDT
Ramy Mesalam (Univ. Leicester), Alessandra Barco (Univ. Leicester), Rob Tute (Univ. Leicester), Kris Bell (Univ. Leicester), Hannah Sargeant (Univ. Leicester), Emily Jane Watkinson (Univ. Leicester), Tony Crawford (Univ. Leicester), Christopher Bicknell (Univ. Leicester), Richard Ambrosi (Univ. Leicester), Christophe Fongarland (ESA)
Testing and Characterization of Industrial Thermoelectric Modules for Space Applications
11:15–11:40AM CDT
Kenton Sherick (Univ. Dayton Research Institute), Boyd Allen Tolson (Univ. Dayton Research Institute), Matthew Johnson (Univ. Dayton Research Institute), Asa Palmer (Univ. Dayton Research Institute), Christopher Venturella (Univ. Dayton Research Institute), Rebecca Hoffman (Univ. Dayton Research Institute), Chadwick Barklay (Univ. Dayton Research Institute)
