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 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Getting back to yes: A local perspective on decommissioning, restart, and responsibility
For 45 years, Duane Arnold Energy Center operated in Linn County, Ia., near the town of Palo and just northwest of Cedar Rapids. The facility, owned by NextEra Energy, was the only nuclear power plant in the state.
In August 2020, a historic derecho swept across eastern Iowa with winds approaching 140 miles per hour. Damage to the plant’s cooling towers accelerated a shutdown that had already been planned, and the facility entered decommissioning soon after, with its fuel removed in October of that year. Iowa’s only nuclear plant had gone off line.
Today the national energy landscape looks very different than it did just six short years ago. Electricity demand is rising rapidly as data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and electrification expand across the country. Reliable, carbon-free baseload power has become increasingly valuable. In that context, Linn County has approved the rezoning necessary to support the recommissioning and restart of Duane Arnold and is actively supporting NextEra’s efforts to secure the remaining state and federal approvals.
Technical Session|Radioisotope Power Systems
Tuesday, May 6, 2025|3:15–4:55PM CDT|Salon EF (Marriott)
Session Chair:
Andrea Marchica (NASA Glenn Research Center)
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
A Gd-148 Heated Melt Probe for Europa's Ice sheet
3:15–3:21PM CDT
Roshni Bakrania (Univ. Leicester), Emily Jane Watkinson (Univ. Leicester)
Paper
Radioisotopes for Space: Lifecycle Waste and Transportation Considerations
3:21–3:27PM CDT
Kurt Fogleman (Zeno Power Systems), Alex Gilbert (Zeno Power Systems), Harsh S. Desai (Zeno Power Systems)
Study on Approval Processes for the Integration of Nuclear Power Sources into Space Launch Vehicles for Korea's Lunar Exploration and Associated Challenges
3:27–3:33PM CDT
Kilyoung Ko (KAERI), Jong-Bum Kim (KAERI), Sunjin Kim (KAERI), Jin-Joo Kim (KAERI), Jin Kim (KAERI), Yongrok Jeong (KAERI), Gujin Kang (KAERI), Kwang-Jae Son (KAERI), Jintae Hong (KAERI)
The Progress with the European Dynamic Radioisotope Power System
3:33–3:39PM CDT
Mihails Scepanskis (Deep Space Energy)
Development of Stirling Radioisotope Generator Testing System
3:39–3:45PM CDT
Yongrok Jeong (KAERI), Gujin Kang (KAERI), Kilyoung Ko (KAERI), Sunjin Kim (KAERI), Jong-bum Kim (KAERI), Jin-joo Kim (KAERI), Jin Kim (KAERI), Kwang Jae Son (KAERI), Hyungwoo Kwon (Seoul National Univ.), Yundeok Ro (Seoul National Univ.), Seonghyeon Cho (Seoul National Univ.), Kyuho Sim (Seoul National Univ.), Jintae Hong (KAERI)
Update on the Qualification Process of an Alternative Fiber and a Chopping Vendor for the Production of Carbon Bonded Carbon Fiber Insulation
3:45–3:51PM CDT
Nidia C. Gallego (ORNL), Rex Veach (ORNL), Roger G. Miller (ORNL)
Radioisotope Power System - Dose Estimation Tool Version 2.0 Release
3:51–3:57PM CDT
Noel Nelson (ORNL), Mathew Swinney (ORNL)
Payload Review for NanoTritiumTM Betavoltaic Batteries
3:57–4:03PM CDT
Peter Cabauy (City Labs), Kevin Makinson (Nuclear Consulting, LLC)
Qualifying Tritium Loading for Advanced Nuclear Space Devices
4:03–4:09PM CDT
Krystine Pimentel (City Labs), Peter Cabauy (City Labs), Jesse Grant (City Labs), Mark Stone (City Labs)
Scalable Tritium Power Solutions for Extended Space Missions
4:09–4:15PM CDT
Mark Stone (City Labs), Peter Cabauy (City Labs), Jesse Grant (City Labs), Cedric Flor-Rey (City Labs), Johann Hernandez (City Labs), Krystine Pimentel (City Labs)
Testing Commercial Off the Shelf Thermoelectric Devices at Elevated Temperatures for Short Periods of Time
4:15–4:21PM CDT
Boyd A. Tolson (Univ. Dayton Research Institute), Steven F. Adams (Air Force Research Laboratory), Zachary T. Adamson (Air Force Research Laboratory)
Optical Spectroscopy for Key Analytical Measurements in Radiochemical Hot Cells to Support Pu-238 Production
4:21–4:27PM CDT
Luke R. Sadergaski (ORNL), Cannon Giglio (ORNL), Kristian G. Myhre (ORNL), Sara E. Gilson (ORNL), Adam J. Parkison (ORNL)
Remote Tracking of Material Inventory During Ion Exchange Column Separation by Spectrophotometry
4:27–4:33PM CDT
Cannon Giglio (ORNL), Luke R. Sadergaski (ORNL), Kristian G. Myhre (ORNL), Tom D. Hylton (ORNL), Adam J. Parkison (ORNL)
Maintaining Advanced Test Reactor Qualifications for Pu-238 Production at Idaho National Laboratory
4:33–4:39PM CDT
Jill R. Mitchell (INL)
The Nuclear Space Age: Solving for Regulatory Hurdles
4:39–4:45PM CDT
Ana Laura Villicaña (Georgetown Law), Bailey Reichelt (Aegis Space Law)
To join the conversation, you must be logged in and registered for the meeting.