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
Apr 2026
Jan 2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2026
Nuclear Technology
March 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
H. Naik, S. P. Dange, R. J. Singh, W. Jang
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 196 | Number 7 | July 2022 | Pages 824-851
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2021.2025298
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Mass chain yield distribution has been done in the thermal neutron–induced fission of 239Pu by measuring the cumulative yields of various fission products within the mass range of 78 to 159 and the independent yields of a few products. An off-line gamma-ray spectrometric technique was used to measure the gamma-ray activities of the fission products. From the measured values of the cumulative yields, the post-neutron mass chain yield distribution was obtained after applying the charge distribution correction. Data from the present and earlier work of our laboratory in the 239Pu(nth,f) reaction were compared with similar data of 238,241Pu(nth,f) and 240Pu(n,f) reactions, and it was found that the fine structures of the mass yield distributions are similar. The mass yield distribution in the 239Pu(nth,f) reaction was also compared with those of 229Th(nth,f) and 252Cf(SF) reactions to examine the effect of charge and mass difference of the fissioning systems on the mass yield distribution. It was found that the asymmetric standard I mode of fission is favorable in the 238,239,241Pu(nth,f) and 240Pu(n,f) reactions whereas the standard II mode is favorable in the 229Th(nth,f) and 252Cf(SF) reactions.