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Conference Spotlight
2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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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Latest News
PR: American Nuclear Society welcomes Senate confirmation of Ted Garrish as the DOE’s nuclear energy secretary
Washington, D.C. — The American Nuclear Society (ANS) applauds the U.S. Senate's confirmation of Theodore “Ted” Garrish as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
“On behalf of over 11,000 professionals in the fields of nuclear science and technology, the American Nuclear Society congratulates Mr. Garrish on being confirmed by the Senate to once again lead the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy,” said ANS President H.M. "Hash" Hashemian.
David F. Berganni, Robert R. Barthelemy
Nuclear Technology | Volume 1 | Number 1 | February 1965 | Pages 49-54
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NT65-A20463
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A major safety requirement imposed by the AEC on the utilization of radioisotopes as heat sources in direct cycle thrustors is that the fuel temperature will never exceed its melting temperature. This design condition implies low thrustor thermal efficiency. One promising concept for recovering some of this energy loss is a combined thrustor and thermoelectric generator. Analytical investigations indicate that this combined unit powered by four kilowatts of radioisotope heat source can produce typically 0.1 pound thrust at specific impulses greater than 750 seconds and an electrical power output of 50 watts. Under no propellant flow (zero thrust) conditions, the same unit can provide 150 watts of electric power.