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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.
Simon Chung, Martin Stewart, Peter Wypych, David Hastie, Andrew Grima, Sam Moricca
Nuclear Technology | Volume 211 | Number 4 | April 2025 | Pages 848-861
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2361190
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper introduces a novel approach to the bulk material handling of simulated radioactive material, focusing on the challenging Idaho calcine waste. Due to the limited availability of the simulant, virtual dynamic simulations were utilized to develop technology demonstration−scale models to assess the efficacy of the discrete element method (DEM) for process development studies. The DEM model was validated using historical experimental data, demonstrating its feasibility with affordable hardware. Acknowledging the limitations of computational analysis, the presented contact model is deemed adequate for preliminary engineering studies. This research advances bulk material handling and provides valuable insights for nuclear waste treatment processes, offering a pioneering framework for researchers working with the Idaho calcine simulant.