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A year in orbit: ISS deployment tests radiation detectors for future space missions
The predawn darkness on a cool Florida night was shattered by the ignition of nine Merlin engines on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The thrust of the engines shook the ground miles away. From a distance, the rocket appeared to slowly rise above the horizon. For the cargo onboard, the launch was anything but gentle, as the ignition of liquid oxygen generated more than 1.5 million pounds of force. After the rocket had been out of sight for several minutes, the booster dramatically returned to Earth with several sonic booms in a captivating show of engineering designed to make space travel less expensive and more sustainable.
Gediminas Stankunas, Simona Breidokaite, Andrius Tidikas
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 77 | Number 7 | October-November 2021 | Pages 791-801
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2021.1906153
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Activation inventory data were assessed for different European DEMOnstration Fusion Power Reactor (EU DEMO) vacuum vessel (VV) segments in order to evaluate the activity, dose rates, and decay heat of the structural materials and the impact of heterogeneity as a part of the Safety and Environment project of the EUROfusion/Power Plant Physics Technology program. Activity is a good indicator of the condition of irradiated material while decay heat and dose rate estimates are crucial for power plant operation and public safety. In addition, the VV structures were analyzed in terms of different breeder blanket configurations that were implemented in the model. Helium-cooled pebble bed and water-cooled lithium-lead breeder blanket modules were considered. These modules directly shield the VV from neutron irradiation; therefore, their design has a great influence on subsequent structure activation.