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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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Jul 2025
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Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
Technical Session|Space Nuclear Propulsion
Tuesday, May 6, 2025|3:15–4:55PM CDT|SPOC B (Space & Rocket Center)
Session Chair:
Tim Duquette (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center)
Track Organizer:
Harold Gerrish (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center)
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A Space Propulsion Concept Based on Inertial Confinement for Nuclear Fusion Using a Polywell Geometry
3:15–3:21PM CDT
Preeti Nair (Univ. North Dakota), Marcos Fernandez-Tous (Univ. North Dakota), Sreejith Vidhyadharan (Univ. North Dakota)
Paper
Impact of Carbon Stoichiometry on (U,Zr)C Thermophysical Properties
3:21–3:27PM CDT
J.C. Schaeperkoetter (LANL), S. Widgeon Paisner (LANL), K.J. McClellan (LANL), J.T. White (LANL), B. Taylor (NASA), J. Rosales (NASA), E. Kardoulaki (LANL)
Performance of Zrc at Conditions Relevant to Space Nuclear Propulsion
3:27–3:33PM CDT
Eddie Lopez-Honorato (ORNL), Katherine Montoya (ORNL), Wesley Jones (ORNL), Ryan Heldt (ORNL), Bryan Conry (ORNL), Brandon Wilson (ORNL), Emily Hutchins (ORNL), N. Dianne Ezell Bull (ORNL)
Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) Engine Ground Testing Status
3:33–3:39PM CDT
Lindsey Holmes (AMA), Marcus Neeley (Jacobs Space Exploration Group), James Rector (New Horizons 5)
Application of Transient Fission Chain Matrix Methodology to Multiphysics Analysis of Nuclear Thermal Rockets
3:39–3:45PM CDT
Jacob Stonehill (AMA)
Synthesis and Microstructure Evolution of Transition Element Mixed Actinide Carbides for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion
3:45–3:51PM CDT
Geronimo Robles (LANL), Shane Mann (LANL), Benjamin Walusiak (LANL), Erofili Kardoulaki (LANL), Najeb Abdul-Jabbar (LANL)
Overcoming Barriers for Reuseable Ground to Orbit Thermal Nuclear Rocketry
3:51–3:57PM CDT
Adrian Tymes (CubeCab), Trevor Hehn (Hehn Law), Troy Howe (Howe Industries), Stylianos Chatzidakis (Purdue Univ.)
Presentation Video (Visible to Attendees)
The Evolution of Inadvertent Criticality Analyses from Project Rover to Today
3:57–4:03PM CDT
Russell Johns (LANL), Andrew Prince (LANL)
Reduced-Order Neutronics: Bridging Speed and Fidelity for Real-Time Nuclear Propulsion Simulations
4:03–4:09PM CDT
Robert Demuth (Univ. South Carolina), Travis Knight (Univ. South Carolina)
ZrC-NbC-TaC Solid Solutions for Carbon-Carbon Heat Exchange Tubes for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Fuel Elements
4:09–4:15PM CDT
Mark Opeka (Kratos SRE), Ben Kowalski (NASA Langley Research Center)
Evaluation of Candidate Carbide Coatings for Carbon-Carbon Heat Exchange Tubes for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Applications
4:15–4:21PM CDT
Valerie Wiesner (NASA Langley Research Center), Julia Cline (NASA Langley Research Center), Elora Kurz (NASA Langley Research Center), Benjamin Kowalski (NASA Glenn Research Center), Anthony Calomino (NASA Headquarters), Christopher Hill (CvdTek)
Thermal-hydraulics Modeling for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Simulator
4:21–4:27PM CDT
Jackson Zazzaro (Univ. South Carolina), Travis Knight (Univ. South Carolina), Ruixian Fang (Univ. South Carolina)
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