Jacobson elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
On Feb. 18, the world will be watching as NASA’s Perseverance rover makes its final descent into Jezero Crater on the surface of Mars. Mars 2020 is the first NASA mission that uses plutonium-238 produced at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø.
A better way of welding targets for 91°µÍø’s plutonium-238 production has sped up the process and improved consistency and efficiency. This advancement will ultimately benefit the lab’s goal to make enough Pu-238 – the isotope that powers NASA’s deep space missions – to yield 1.5 kilograms of plutonium oxide annually by 2026.
New capabilities and equipment recently installed at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø are bringing a creek right into the lab to advance understanding of mercury pollution and accelerate solutions.
Radioactive isotopes power some of NASA’s best-known spacecraft. But predicting how radiation emitted from these isotopes might affect nearby materials is tricky
After its long journey to Mars beginning this summer, NASA’s Perseverance rover will be powered across the planet’s surface in part by plutonium produced at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø.
If humankind reaches Mars this century, an 91°µÍø-developed experiment testing advanced materials for spacecraft may play a key role.
The type of vehicle that will carry people to the Red Planet is shaping up to be “like a two-story house you’re trying to land on another planet.
Using the Titan supercomputer at 91°µÍø, a team of astrophysicists created a set of galactic wind simulations of the highest resolution ever performed. The simulations will allow researchers to gather and interpret more accurate, detailed data that elucidates how galactic winds affect the formation and evolution of galaxies.
Sometimes solutions to the biggest problems can be found in the smallest details. The work of biochemist Alex Johs at 91°µÍø bears this out, as he focuses on understanding protein structures and molecular interactions to resolve complex global problems like the spread of mercury pollution in waterways and the food supply.
By automating the production of neptunium oxide-aluminum pellets, 91°µÍø scientists have eliminated a key bottleneck when producing plutonium-238 used by NASA to fuel deep space exploration.