Prototyping Pinhole Collimators For Imaging Irradiated Nuclear Fuel,
2026
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Prototyping Pinhole Collimators For Imaging Irradiated Nuclear Fuel, Narrie Loftus, Ashish Avachat, Joseph T. Graham, Ryan Fronk, Jordan Fox, Rachel Shaffer, Seth Kilby
Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works
Collimator design and fabrication is a costly and time-consuming process that does not lend itself to simplified testing. This manuscript presents an approach for the rapid prototyping of sub-millimeter pinhole collimators for nuclear fuel applications using low-melting-point, high-mass-density materials. Multiple collimators were fabricated to test collimator parameters and properties, including acceptance angle, aperture diameter, and magnification. The fabricated collimators were paired with a position-sensitive CdZnTe detector to determine the detector response convolved with the collimator. Preliminary analysis using these collimators showed that they were effective in collimating multi-energy gamma laboratory sources. Radiography was performed to confirm magnification and determine coarse …
Notes For The Contributors,
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The Global Chessboard: Strategic Deterrence In A New Era Of Great Power Competition,
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The Global Chessboard: Strategic Deterrence In A New Era Of Great Power Competition, The 66th Annual Academy Assembly
Space and Defense
The 66th annual Academy Assembly brought together twenty-seven student delegates from civilian institutions and sister military service academies to discuss urgent issues in national affairs. This national student congress was held during March 3-5, 2026 and produced the following committee reports.
Critical Strategic Deterrence Questions For Today,
2026
Missouri State University
Critical Strategic Deterrence Questions For Today, Keith B. Payne
Space and Defense
r. Payne visited the U.S. Air Force Academy to offer keynote remarks at a national student congress, the 66th Academy Assembly, held during March 3-5,2026 and dedicated to the topic of the Global Chessboard: Strategic Deterrence in a New Era of Great Power Competition. Dr. Payne is co-founder of the National Institute for Public Policy, former Department Head at the Graduate School of Defense and Strategic Studies, Missouri State University, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and former Senior Advisor to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He has authored or co-authored over 230 published articles and 50 …
Death Of Battlefield Hide-And-Seek,
2026
Columbia University
Death Of Battlefield Hide-And-Seek, Lily Cheatham
Space and Defense
For the past twenty years, the stealth regime defined military thinking, prioritizing technologies and tactics designed to evade enemy defense systems. Ensuring radar invisibility and maintaining information dominance have been the keys to survival and strategic advantage. On June 21-22, 2025, the United States conducted "Operation Midnight Hammer" against Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The principal strike package included seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, whose crews flew approximately 18 hours to reach the target area and roughly 36 hours and 13,000 miles round trip. The B-2s dropped 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators on Fordow and Natanz, marking …
The Baltic Bear Trap Wargame,
2026
U.S. Air Force Academy
The Baltic Bear Trap Wargame, Connor Crookham
Space and Defense
Modern military education increasingly relies on experiential tools that allow students to explore the complexity of contemporary conflict in ways that lectures and readings alone cannot achieve. Nowhere is this more evident than in the emerging emphasis on multi-domain operations, integrated deterrence, and the blurred boundaries between competition and armed conflict. The Baltic Bear Trap wargame was developed as a student design project to meet this instructional need, offering a structured environment in which players must think, plan, and act as operational-level decision makers confronting a deteriorating security situation in the Nordic–Baltic region. Built for use at the Swedish Defense …
A Cislunar Economic Forecast Under Public-Private Partnership,
2026
University of Colorado, Boulder
A Cislunar Economic Forecast Under Public-Private Partnership, Naisha Chirag Naik
Space and Defense
Cislunar space, spanning Earth’s orbit to the Moon, has emerged as a new frontier due to its strategic, scientific, and economic potential, with growing involvement from global powers, governments, and private entities diversifying the market. Unlike the first lunar space race, which saw a spike in activity amongst two countries followed by “silence,” the current cislunar era is hallmarked by a growing mix of public agencies, private companies, and international actors seeking to gain a foothold in what could be the foundation for a long-term space economy. While cislunar space was historically only an interest for superpowers, recent years have …
Autonomous Navigation In Cislunar Satellites,
2026
University of Texas, Austin
Autonomous Navigation In Cislunar Satellites, Heith Johnson
Space and Defense
Cislunar space—the region between Earth’s geosynchronous orbit (about 36,000 kilometers from Earth) and the Moon (roughly 384,000 kilometers away)—is becoming a critical frontier for future space exploration and commercialization.1 This zone includes the Moon’s orbit, transfer orbits, and the Earth-Moon Lagrange points. Additionally, as more nations and corporations launch lunar missions and establish long-term infrastructure, cislunar space is increasingly becoming a strategic focus for exploration, logistics, and transportation.
Planetary Defense As The Ethico-Legal Gateway For International Space Security,
2026
Swinburne University of Technology - Australia
Planetary Defense As The Ethico-Legal Gateway For International Space Security, Evie Kendal
Space and Defense
Following the news in late 2024 that there was a city-killer asteroid on a possible collision course with Earth, many members of the public were shocked to learn there was no reliable global plan for managing such asteroidal and cometary impact hazards. While calculations of Asteroid 2024 YR4’s trajectory were further refined to exclude the previously reported 2-3% chance of collision in 2032, this event highlighted a major security threat: the lack of a globally coordinated, appropriately resourced, and politically supported planetary defense strategy (Gibney, 2025). In so doing, it also provided an opportunity for security experts to consider the …
Space-Based Missile Defense With Early Interceptor Launch Strategies,
2026
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Space-Based Missile Defense With Early Interceptor Launch Strategies, William Priedhorsky, James Wells
Space and Defense
There is renewed interest in space-based boost-phase intercept (SBPI) for missile defense against ICBMs of near-peer adversaries. We discuss SBPI in the context of other missile defense approaches, and address one of its challenges, which is the expense of fielding a large enough constellation of interceptors in space to counter even a small number of ICBMs. We develop an early-launch approach that could substantively reduce the required density of interceptors. Because every second matters in boost-phase defense, early launch of interceptors can significantly increase the reach of each interceptor. Early launch would require interceptors that have highly throttleable motors. Our …
Golden Dome: Seeking Space Security,
2026
Johns Hopkins University
Golden Dome: Seeking Space Security, Namrata Goswami
Space and Defense
The “Golden Dome” initiative [formerly Iron Dome] was announced by President Donald Trump on January 27, 2025, signifying a transformative shift in global space security policy. It fundamentally questions long-standing assumptions about deterrence, national vulnerability to missile attacks, and the role of space in strategic defense. More importantly, it emerges at a moment of acute strategic transition: the erosion of Cold War arms control frameworks, the rapid advancement of hypersonic and orbital delivery systems, and the growing integration of space into warfighting doctrines. Launched via a presidential memorandum in January 2025, Golden Dome calls for a layered missile defense system …
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Editor's Note,
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Editor's Note, Damon Coletta
Space and Defense
No abstract provided.
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Table Of Contents,
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Table Of Contents, Space & Defense
Space and Defense
No abstract provided.
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Front Matter,
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Front Matter, Space & Defense
Space and Defense
No abstract provided.
Space & Defense Volume 17 Issue 1 Summer 2026 (Whole Issue),
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Space & Defense Volume 17 Issue 1 Summer 2026 (Whole Issue), Space & Defense
Space and Defense
No abstract provided.
Radiological Safety Assessment Of Gamma Spectroscopy Based Spent Fuel Burnup Analysis At The Itu Triga Mark Ii Reactor,
2026
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Radiological Safety Assessment Of Gamma Spectroscopy Based Spent Fuel Burnup Analysis At The Itu Triga Mark Ii Reactor, T. Akyurek, Z. Boduroglu, A. Kaya, O. Erbay, I. A. Reyhancan, M. S. Kiziltas, S. Ozcan
Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works
This study investigates radiological safety and photon attenuation behavior during spent fuel inspection and burnup analysis at the ITU TRIGA Mark II Research Reactor. A lead-shielded fuel inspection system equipped with an HPGe detector was used to perform remote gamma spectroscopy on spent fuel elements, ensuring operator safety. Dose rate measurements were taken using a handheld radiation monitor at both the surface and at a distance of 1 m from the inspection system for each fuel element. The highest contact dose rate was observed for the B4 element (6.68 ± 0.60 μSv/h), while the lowest was for F30 (2.4 ± …
Assessment Of The Radionuclide Concentration Levels Of Water And Sediments Along The Mara River,
2026
Department of Mining and Mineral Processing Engineering, University of Dar es Salaam, P. O. Box 35131, Tanzania
Assessment Of The Radionuclide Concentration Levels Of Water And Sediments Along The Mara River, Gasper Kachenge, Abubakary Salama, Abdalah Kileo, Furaha Chuma
Tanzania Journal of Science
For many years, several factors have impacted the water quality of the Mara River, including population growth, agricultural expansion, livestock keeping, mining, and industrial activities. These factors have intensified water pollution and climate change effects around the river. While previous studies have mainly focused on assessing heavy metal pollution risks on the Mara River, this study evaluates the concentration levels of radionuclides in boreholes, water, and sediments along the river and its tributaries. Naturally occurring radioactive materials, including 226Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K, were evaluated. A high-purity germanium radiation detector (HPGe) with a coaxial detector system coupled with Gamma Vision software …
Investigating The Corrosion Behavior Of Stainless Steel 316 In Static Lead Lithium Eutectic Under Applied Stressed Conditions,
2026
University of New Mexico
Investigating The Corrosion Behavior Of Stainless Steel 316 In Static Lead Lithium Eutectic Under Applied Stressed Conditions, Daniel E. Levario
Nuclear Engineering ETDs
As fusion power moves closer to feasibility, identifying structural materials compatible with breeding blanket environments remains a critical challenge. Lead-lithium eutectic (LLE) is a leading candidate breeder and coolant material due to its low melting point and combined tritium breeding and neutron multiplication capability. However, the corrosive nature of LLE toward structural steels at elevated temperatures must be characterized before these systems can be reliably deployed. This study investigates the corrosion behavior of Type 316 stainless steel in static LLE under applied stress conditions at 550°C using C-ring stress corrosion specimens. Post exposure analysis via optical microscopy, SEM, EDS, and …
Design And Feasibility Study Of An Air-Cooled Reactor Cavity Cooling System For Fluoride-Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactors,
2026
University of New Mexico - Main Campus
Design And Feasibility Study Of An Air-Cooled Reactor Cavity Cooling System For Fluoride-Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactors, Alexandra D. Martinez
Nuclear Engineering ETDs
Licensing efforts for Fluoride-Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactors (FHRs) are dependent on passive safety systems designed for decay heat removal, yet no prior study has evaluated an air-based Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) for this role. This thesis addresses that gap by determining whether an air-cooled RCCS can be designed to passively remove post-shutdown decay heat from the Mk 1 FHR. An RCCS configuration was developed and sized using a one-dimensional lumped-parameter design methodology, then evaluated through system-level thermal-hydraulic modeling in RELAP5-3D under a conservative, lower-bound post-shutdown transient. The analysis characterizes the radial heat-transfer pathways from the FHR core to the RCCS …
Higher-Order Statistical Analysis Of Inter-Arrival Times For Radiation Detector Deadtime Characterization And Paralysis Factor Determination,
2026
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Higher-Order Statistical Analysis Of Inter-Arrival Times For Radiation Detector Deadtime Characterization And Paralysis Factor Determination, Abdallah Wazzan, Shoaib Usman, Tayfun Akyurek
Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works
All real detectors exhibit hybrid behavior that combines both paralyzable and non-paralyzable which requires improved characterization techniques. This study investigates the relationship between detector deadtime parameters and higher-order statistical for inter-arrival time distributions to develop advanced detector characterization. Two comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation approaches were employed using MATLAB: a full radioactive decay curve analysis spanning approximately 4.5 half-lives of Cobalt-60 and Vanadium-52 sources, and a fixed count rate analysis covering practically achievable laboratory conditions (440 to 1,000,000 counts per second). The hybrid deadtime model was implemented with deadtimes ranging from 2.5 to 50 μs for the full simulation and from …
