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.
Division Spotlight
Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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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Apr 2025
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
TerraPower begins U.K. regulatory approval process
Seattle-based TerraPower signaled its interest this week in building its Natrium small modular reactor in the United Kingdom, the company announced.
TerraPower sent a letter to the U.K.’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, formally establishing its intention to enter the U.K. generic design assessment (GDA) process. This is TerraPower’s first step in deployment of its Natrium technology—a 345-MW sodium fast reactor coupled with a molten salt energy storage unit—on the international stage.
Mohamed S. El-Genk, Timothy M. Schriener
Nuclear Technology | Volume 211 | Number 3 | March 2025 | Pages 400-428
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2329830
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Heat rejection radiators of nuclear reactor power systems for space exploration and for planetary surface power are the largest component by volume and mass, depending on the radiator’s design and surface average temperature. This work developed designs for lightweight radiator modules for waste heat rejection on the lunar surface at a surface average temperature of 600 K. The modules each have a cesium (Cs)–titanium (Ti) heat pipe (HP) and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG)/Ti heat spreading fins. The assembled panels of 10 Cs-HP modules hydraulically coupled in parallel are armored with carbon-carbon composite to protect against impacts by micrometeoroids and space debris for 10 years. The performance of the developed armored radiator panels is much superior to the current state of the art, with an areal density of 2.98 to 3.6 kg/m2, specific power of 3.36 to 3.98 kW/kg, rejected thermal power of 56.3 to 96.3 kW, and rejected power density of 7.56 kW/m2.
