Author: Fission Today

Eight MIT researchers are among the 128 new members and 22 international members recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for 2025. Thirteen additional MIT alumni were also elected as new members.One of the highest professional distinctions for engineers, membership in the NAE is given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”The eight MIT electees this year include:Martin Zdenek…

Deep Isolation Nuclear, an innovator in nuclear waste disposal technology, on January 13 said the company has successfully completed its Project SAVANT (Sequential Advancement of Technology for Deep Borehole Disposal), a two-year research initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E). The project found that Deep Isolation’s Universal Canister System (UCS) and borehole casing materials can sufficiently resist corrosion to safely store nuclear waste material, further validating the design and advancing the company toward a full-scale deep borehole disposal demonstration. Building on the project’s central objective, the project SAVANT team evaluated corrosion performance under realistic…

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High-temperature superconducting magnets made from REBCO, an acronym for rare earth barium copper oxide, make it possible to create an intense magnetic field that can confine the extremely hot plasma needed for fusion reactions, which combine two hydrogen atoms to form an atom of helium, releasing a neutron in the process.But some early tests suggested that neutron irradiation inside a fusion power plant might instantaneously suppress the superconducting magnets’ ability to carry current without resistance (called critical current), potentially causing a reduction in the fusion power output.Now, a series of experiments has clearly demonstrated that this instantaneous effect of neutron…

In May 1985, Greenpeace took on a mission unlike anything they had done before – to mass relocate the people of Rongelap atoll in the Marshall Islands, whose ancestral home was no longer safe as a result of the US government’s nuclear testing in the region. About 350 people were relocated, including livestock and 100 metric tons of building material, to Mejatto, another island about 180 km away. This is the story behind “Operation Exodus” – one Rainbow Warrior boat and an island community, versus a huge colonial power who discredited the act as “manipulation” for Greenpeace’s anti-nuclear agenda. As…

By 2050, Switzerland anticipates a significant expansion of solar photovoltaics (PV) and increased electrification of heating and mobility, coinciding with the aimed phase-out of nuclear power plants. This transition, however, introduces a seasonal imbalance: solar PV generates the most electricity in summer, while power demand peaks in winter, particularly for heating.Power-to-gas technology offers one possible solution to this imbalance by converting surplus renewable energy into hydrogen or methane. These electricity-based gases (e-gases) can be produced domestically or imported and have two key applications: they can decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors (e.g., industry and heavy-duty transport) or be burned in gas-to-power  (i.e., hydrogen…

When Zoe Fisher was in fourth grade, her art teacher asked her to draw her vision of a dream job on paper. At the time, those goals changed like the flavor of the week in an ice cream shop — “zookeeper” featured prominently for a while — but Zoe immediately knew what she wanted to put down: a mad scientist.When Fisher stumbled upon the drawing in her parents’ Chicago home recently, it felt serendipitous because, by all measures, she has realized that childhood dream. The second-year doctoral student at MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) is studying materials…

Holtec Submits License Application to NRC for the Palisades Twin SMR-300s Palisades Reactor Restart Delayed to 2026 Illinois Gov Pritzker Signs Bill Removing State’s Ban on New Nuclear Power Plants Two New Reports from the Nuclear Innovation Alliance Rep. Simpson Secures INL Priorities in Energy and Water Appropriations Bill Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Siemens, Nvidia To Develop Fusion Digital Twin Chinese Tokamak Achieves Progress in High-density Plasma Operation Fusion Industry Association Reviews 2025 Events Holtec Submits License Application to NRC for the Palisades Twin SMR-300s Holtec International announced it submitted its first major licensing application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission…

As the previous post discussed here, the City of Berkeley was granted until 5/31/23 to file a petition for rehearing en banc to the full 9th Circuit. Yesterday, the City of Berkeley filed its Petition for Rehearing En Banc. This sets in motion a period for the 9th Circuit to review and grant or deny rehearing that can range from 21 days to more than 150 days depending on procedural action. To grant rehearing, a majority of the 29 sitting 9th Circuit Judges must vote for rehearing. If granted, the three judge panel opinion issued on 4/17/ 23 is rescinded…

Going to the moon was one thing; going to Mars will be quite another. The distance alone is intimidating. While the moon is 238,855 miles away, the distance to Mars is between 33 million and 249 million miles. The propulsion systems that got us to the moon just won’t work.Taylor Hampson, a master’s student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE), is well aware of the problem. It’s one of the many reasons he’s excited about his NASA-sponsored research into nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP).The technique uses nuclear energy to heat a propellant, like hydrogen, to an extremely high…