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Division Spotlight
Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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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May 2025
Latest News
Dragonfly, a Pu-fueled drone heading to Titan, gets key NASA approval
Curiosity landed on Mars sporting a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) in 2012, and a second NASA rover, Perseverance, landed in 2021. Both are still rolling across the red planet in the name of science. Another exploratory craft with a similar plutonium-238–fueled RTG but a very different mission—to fly between multiple test sites on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon—recently got one step closer to deployment.
On April 25, NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) announced that the Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s icy moon passed its critical design review. “Passing this mission milestone means that Dragonfly’s mission design, fabrication, integration, and test plans are all approved, and the mission can now turn its attention to the construction of the spacecraft itself,” according to NASA.
K. R. Schultz, A. R. Veca, G. A. Deis, P. Y. S. Hsu, R. E. Nygren, H. Herman
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 4 | Number 2 | September 1983 | Pages 763-768
Blanket and First Wall Engineering | doi.org/10.13182/FST83-A22952
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The First Wall/Blanket/Shield (FWBS) Program has the goal to provide the development and testing of FWBS systems for magnetic fusion reactors. Program Element II of this program is to develop the thermal-hydraulic and thermomechanical data base for blanket and shield components. The critical blanket/shield data needs were identified, alternate techniques to simulate fusion neutron bulk heating were evaluated, and a detailed technical plan was developed. The initial focus is on the critical issues of solid breeder blankets. Two single effect scoping tests are currently in progress to determine the heat transfer characteristics and thermomechanical stability of the solid breeder bed. The design of an integral test to simulate all the non-nuclear aspects of the blanket has been completed. Preliminary planning for a fission reactor-based nuclear test has also been done. Future testing will investigate alternate solid breeder blanket materials and configurations and will begin the investigation of the critical MHD effects of liquid metal blanket concepts.
