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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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Deep Space: The new frontier of radiation controls
In commercial nuclear power, there has always been a deliberate tension between the regulator and the utility owner. The regulator fundamentally exists to protect the worker, and the utility, to make a profit. It is a win-win balance.
From the U.S. nuclear industry has emerged a brilliantly successful occupational nuclear safety record—largely the result of an ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) process that has driven exposure rates down to what only a decade ago would have been considered unthinkable. In the U.S. nuclear industry, the system has accomplished an excellent, nearly seamless process that succeeds to the benefit of both employee and utility owner.
Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS-2022) Plenary SPeaker
Professor
The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
John Foster has worked in the area of advanced space propulsion for 30 years dating back to his undergraduate days as a summer intern at NASA Glenn on gridded ion thrusters. His research includes in-space propulsion technologies ranging from gridded ion thrusters to MPD thrusters as well as gas and liquid core nuclear thermal rockets. He worked on advanced propulsion for nearly 10 years as an employee at NASA before moving to the University of Michigan. At NASA GRC, he served as the ion thruster (HIPEP) principle investigator for the JIMO NEP mission. He also worked on an interstellar precursor high power ion engine as NASA GRC as well. He continued this research at Michigan and extended research effort into space nuclear power and propulsion systems as well. In parallel he has developed as a space nuclear power and propulsion design course. He has also carried out research relevant to space in situ resource utilization including water recycling/purification and plastics waste recycling using plasmas.
Last modified April 25, 2022, 9:31am EDT
