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August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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MIT professor develops method to verify compliance with Outer Space Treaty
Danagoulian
Areg Danagoulian of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is proposing a mechanism for verifying that Earth-orbiting satellites are in compliance with the Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons in space. Danagoulian’s “concept and feasibility study,” titled “Verification of the Outer Space Treaty with cosmic protons,” was published recently in the journal Nature.
Barry L. Butterfield (Retired), Daniel B. Bullen (DNFSB)
Proceedings | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) | Charlotte, NC, April 9-13, 2017 | Pages 330-335
An important component of the proposed Yucca Mountain Project was the development of a new rail line intended to transport waste casks from the main U.S. rail system to the repository site. The early phases of repository development identified five corridors for consideration: Carlin, Jean, Valley Modified, Caliente, and Caliente-Chalk Mountain. Later in the process, DOE added a new corridor, Mina, based on conversations with the Walker River Paiute Tribal Council. In the Final Environmental Impact Statement (RA-EIS) for the rail alignments, DOE concluded that two rail corridors, Caliente and Mina, would be considered in detail. Nevada Rail Partners, a subcontractor to the Yucca Mountain Project management and operations contractor, evaluated ten possible alternate alignments within the Caliente Corridor, and four alternate alignments within the Mina Corridor. The evaluations included alternative alignments (including rail design criteria), rail construction, yard facilities, and rail operations issues. This paper briefly describes these evaluations, and provides a summary of the engineering evaluation of facility requirements, system controls, construction planning, and air quality issues.
Development of conceptual design drawings for alternate alignments was relatively straightforward. The conceptual design process also included development of preliminary construction plans that provided a basis to the environmental contractor who prepared the RA-EIS. This paper focuses on the lessons learned throughout this conceptual design process as well as from a review of public comments received on the RA-EIS. These lessons address issues associated with general design principles, resource impacts, and alignment selection. This paper also provides a strategic assessment of issues regarding the new paradigm for environmental activism. These issues should be incorporated into the evaluation of any updated transportation plan for Yucca Mountain, should that site be re-considered, or any new site identified by either the Department of Energy or a private sector applicant.
