CSNR Summer Fellowships Program

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CSNR Summer Fellowships Program
Results of the Summer Study
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Center for Space Nuclear Research Summer
Fellowship Program

• Dr. Steven D. Howe
• Center Director - CSNR
• 8/1/2006

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Center for Space Nuclear Research

• Universities Space Research Association (USRA)
  teamed with the Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) on
  a bid to manage the Idaho National Laboratory
  (INL) for the Department of Energy (DOE).
• USRAs responsibility for the team was to
  establish the CSNR to be located in Idaho Falls,
  Idaho.
• Director on board 9/12/2005.

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CSNR Goals

• Create opportunities for university researchers
  to collaborate with their counterparts at NASA,
  INL and other DOE Labs, and industry in projects
  and initiatives to advance nuclear technologies
  for space exploration and other space
  applications.
• Establish and conduct a multidisciplinary
  education program in studies of space nuclear
  systems and related scientific and technical
  areas that uses a mix of classroom and research
  activities to inspire students to enter math and
  science.
• Set up a public outreach program that creates and
  supports an awareness of the policies and public
  perceptions relating to the use of nuclear energy
  for space exploration and development.

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CSNR Participation in NASA Planning Events

• Invitee to the NASA Strategic Planning Workshop,
  Nov. 05, NTR Panel
• Objective of the panel was to establish a
  business case for NASA to invest in NTR
  technology development
• Business cases were competed between Nuclear
  Thermal Rockets (NTR), Fission Surface Power
  FSP), Nuclear Electric Propulsion NEP), and
  Radioisotope Power Sources (RPS)
• Question was raised to NASA PAO office
  (organizer) as to cost savings possible by using
  NTR for Lunar Outpost
• Invitee to the NASA Exploration Strategic
  Workshop 4/25/06-
• Brown team subgroup had the following
  recommendations
• use the space station as a major component of the
  VSE
• Create the equivalent of the trans-continental
  railroad to the Moon
• Utilize commercial infrastructure and assets
  where possible
• Promote commercial enterprise on the Moon

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2006 CSNR Summer Fellowships

• Conceived in January 2006
• Modified existing USRA software to allow on-line
  applications
• 112 applications received in 1 month window
• Review team at INL selected 14 candidates- 2 PhD,
  5 MS, 7 undergrad from 6 states and the UK
• Three jobs
• Lunar Outpost NTP study
• Cermet fabrication
• Risk/human factors analysis
• Arranged guest housing
• Rented classroom at ISU campus as office

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Goals of the Fellowship Program

• Provide Student Fellows an in-depth understanding
  of nuclear propulsion and nuclear power
  technologies applied to space exploration
• Gain experience using complex computer codes that
  will be applicable to modeling nuclear systems
• Gain experience in front-edge experimental work
  and exploration trade studies
• Speaking and writing experience (weekly
  presentations by students)
• Exposure to NASA and DOE speakers and concepts.

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Program Accomplishments

• attended a "nuclear engineering-101" course
  presented by Dr. Michael Houts of the NASA
  Marshall Space Flight Center
• briefing by Marty Sattison (INL) on fundamentals
  of risk analysis
• briefing by Rafael Soto (INL) on methodologies
  for multi-parameter trade studies
• briefing by Tom Hill (INL) on ground testing full
  scale nuclear systems- NTR and FSP
• briefing by James Werner (INL) on nuclear fuel
  fabrication
• Briefing by Ron Boring (INL) on human factors
  studies
• attended a tutorial on using MCNP/MCNPX by Dr.
  Michael Houts for radiation transport and dose
  calculations
• Study Team Identified and developed 20 tasks
  relating to two scenarios for supporting the
  Lunar Outpost each Fellow has accepted one to
  three of the tasks to research for the group the
  20 tasks encompass two different scenarios for
  supporting the Outpost and each scenario has a
  number of different options
• Several discussions and briefings by Dr. Steven
  Howe on outcomes from NASA strategic planning
  meetings which he attended
• Weekly update meetings to monitor progress on
  tasks
• Student presentations to the entire group about
  work done at school (1-2 per week)

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2006 CSNR Summer Fellowships-mentored

• Kurt Vedros- Idaho State University (Curtis
  Smith)
• Supporting Marty Sattison's group in the PRA
  studies
• David Keller New Mexico State University (Ron
  Boring)
• supporting Bruce Hallbert's group on human
  factors studies.
• Brandon Cunningham- Univ. of Florida (Randy
  Fielding), Jeff Perkins- Colorado School of Mines
  (Will Windes), Natasha Barra- UCLA (Dan Wachs)
• working with INL staff to create and fabricate
  Tungsten-Rhenium cermet samples using
  zirconium-oxide as a surrogate for uranium oxide.
  The fellows are also attempting to extrude the
  material to see if fuel elements can be formed.
  
• Ryan Johnson (Jon Carmack)
• working on building a hot-hydrogen test chamber
  to examine erosion of candidate fuel materials
  under operational conditions.

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2006 CSNR Summer Fellowships-Study Team

• John Bess- Univ. of Utah
• Masayuki Yano- Georgia Tech
• Melissa Ghrist Texas AM
• Paul Cummings Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
  University (Prescott)
• Rob Obrien Univ. of Leicester (UK)
• Emily Colvin Georgia Tech
• Kevan Supak Texas AM
• examining the cost/benefit trade of using a
  nuclear rocket to support the construction of a
  Lunar Outpost, i.e. six astronauts on the lunar
  surface for six months

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Goals of Mentored Students

• Support INL staff in PRA and human factors
  studies
• Assemble and refit hot hydrogen test stand
• Fabricate tungsten cermet samples and examine
  potential processing techniques
• Support Study Team with regards to issues
  involving materials, PRA or human factors as
  needed

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Study Team Goals Identify options for a Lunar
Outpost

• Identify mission profile parameters and
  sensitivities
• Identify overarching operational issues
• Determine comparison between chemically propelled
  transfers and NTR transfers
• Investigate possible use of ISS to support
  architecture
• Identify major issues in development of NTR
• Identify NTR operational characteristics
• Where feasible, establish cost estimates of NTR
  development and cost savings from NTR use
• Identify future missions where NTR could provide
  benefits

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Study Team Mission Profile Tasks

• A ESAS lander characterize mass structural
  fraction, volume, tankage
• A ESAS LEO to LLO braking stage? Drop tanks?
  Mass, etc.
• A, B Abort options for ESAS
• B ISS characterization
• B ISS garage option, changes required life
  support, power, structure, personnel
• B Current launch fleet to ISS characterization,
  mass, mass delivered/, volume
• B Delta V to ISS per launcher
• A, B Options for post-flight DD of NTR land,
  HEO, helio, escape, lunar orbit
• A, B Delta V from LEO to LLO ISS or equatorial
  depart
• A, B Launch window analysis
• A NTR, same payload, LEO mass
• A NTR, same LEO mass, payload
• B Refueling issues
• B Number and characteristics of engines
• B number of transfers (1-3), number of descents
  (1-3), fraction of payload
• B Garage assembly method on site, launch
• B intangible benefits garage, ISS,
  international, commercial
• A, B NTR intangibles science, mars, NEO
• B chemical transfer

A scenario ! - ESAS architecture B scenario
2 - ISS utilization
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Study Team NTR tasks

• Processing methods elements, materials
• H2 manifolds feed each element or common
  manifold
• MCNP core modeling fuel type, dose maps,
  shielding, crew dose, thrust?
• Heat Transfer Model core nozzle, related to
  thrust - elements
• Accident scenarios launch (ground), launch
  (trans-lunar injection)
• Accident scenarios transport pre-launch
  assembly
• Accidents in ground testing - full scale, double
  walled?
• Security - 100kg HEU
• Diagnostics - what, how many, ranges - flight
  unit
• Zero power crit testing facility - needed? Where?
  How? Validate transport
• Fuel element question (Thermal cycling of fuel,
  hot H2 testing, DU and irradiated)
• Characterize readiness level of 'other'
  components of NTR (nozzle, pump, lifetime
• Pressure vessel options
• Shield, reflector control
• Test facilities - options (EMAD, test point,
  security, EIS) - SAFE, oceans, surface
• Fuel cost of HEU
• Ground control - autonomy of safe control
  (diagnostics and controls)
• Fuel characteristics (leakage CTE, brittle, MP
  for C and W)
• Effluent wrap around (leakage)

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Future Goals of the CSNR Fellowship Program

• Participate in a NASA program for university led
  collaborations in advanced Fission Surface Power
  for the Moon
• Facilitate collaborate between INL and major
  universities on pre-bachelors and graduate level
  projects
• Provide impetus and collaboration on INL LDRD
  projects
• Execute Summer Fellowship program in FY07 to
  examine FSP options for Moon and Mars
• Expand CSNR Fellowships to year round grants

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Results of the Summer Study

• Scenario 1- Use of a NTR for orbit transfer from
  the ESAS orbit of 50 tons of mass for a Lunar
  Outpost
• Scenario 2- Use of a NTR for orbit transfer from
  the ISS to Lunar orbit of 50 tons of mass

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Agenda

• Mission Assumptions and Overview
  Melissa Ghrist, Masa Yano
• Using a NTR to augment ESAS architecture
  (Scenario 1) Paul Cummings
• Use of Internationa Space Station (Scenario
  2) Emily Colvin
• Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Testing the
  Technology
• Rover/NERVA History Brandon Cunningham
• Tungsten cermet reactors John Bess
• Fuel Development and Processing
• Tungsten cermet as a viable fuel Jeff Perkins
• Sintering and joule heating Natasha Barra
• Component Testing Ryan Johnson
• Full System Testing Rob OBrien
• NTR Costs, Benefits, and Future
  Opportunities Kevin Supak