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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
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Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
The transformation of the NRC: 50 years of commissioners
The dust is beginning to settle following the whirlwind of changes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over the past year, and 2025 ultimately may be viewed as a transformative year, as well as the year the NRC celebrated its golden anniversary. The 12 months of that milestone year brought more change to the agency in its composition, its mandate, and its relationship to the executive branch than any comparable period in the preceding four decades.
Now at 51 years and counting, the NRC is working with a full commission and issuing new rulemakings to both regulate and support the next round of nuclear deployments. With the turbulence of 2025 still fresh in our minds, Nuclear News decided it was a good time to revisit the professional backgrounds of all 42 NRC commissioners who have served over the agency’s 50-year history to see how the composition of the commission has evolved over time.
Technical Session|Architectures, Missions, and Use Cases
Wednesday, April 29, 2026|10:10–11:30AM EDT|Room 306
Session Chair:
Jericho Locke
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NTP Engine Performance and Concept of Operations Assessment for Manned Mars Missions With Consideration of Gravity Losses and Reactor Cooling
10:10–10:30AM EDT
F. Bertrand (CEA), A. Simmonet (CEA), P. Sciora (CEA), V. Brun-Magaud (CEA), L. Matteo (CEA), E. Proust (CEA), M. Mascaron (CEA), M.L. Schlegel (CEA), V. Girardin (ESA)
Paper
Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter Reimagined: Leveraging NASA's Fission Surface Power and Modern Launch Vehicles
10:30–10:50AM EDT
Brian J. Muzek (L3Harris Aerojet Rocketdyne), C. Russell Joyner II (L3Harris Aerojet Rocketdyne), Timothy Kokan (L3Harris Aerojet Rocketdyne), Rodney W. Noble (L3Harris Aerojet Rocketdyne), Christopher B. Reynolds (L3Harris Aerojet Rocketdyne)
Leveraging Advanced Nuclear Thermal Propulsion for Human Mars Exploration
10:50–11:10AM EDT
Britton Reynolds (L3Harris Technologies), Claude R. Joyner II (L3Harris Technologies), Timothy Kokan (L3Harris Technologies), Brian J. Muzek (L3Harris Technologies)
Conceptual Design of a Nuclear Electric Propulsion Mission for Direct Rendezvous With Uranus
11:10–11:30AM EDT
Monica A. Salunkhe (Univ. Alabama, Huntsville), L. Dale Thomas (Univ. Alabama, Huntsville)
