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.
Grant R. Garrett, Brian R. Lowery, Molly K. Hanson, Douglas J. Miller, Turki Almudhhi, Fan-Bill Cheung, Stephen M. Bajorek, Kirk Tien, Chris L. Hoxie
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 197 | Number 10 | October 2023 | Pages 2686-2710
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2022.2157189
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
As part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency Rod Bundle Heat Transfer (RBHT) project, an experimental study was performed to investigate the entrained droplet sizes and velocities in a rod bundle under reflood conditions. Experimental results were obtained from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission/The Pennsylvania State University RBHT test facility using advanced dual laser measurement systems that allow for the simultaneous measurement of droplet behaviors at two axial locations during reflood transients. The RBHT facility is highly instrumented and contains a 7×7 electrically heated bundle with dimensions matching those in commercial pressurized water reactors. The combination of the measurement capabilities of the RBHT facility and the choice of appropriate experimental conditions allows for the measurement of unique droplet size and velocity distributions under different transient reflood conditions.