Workshop on Nuclear Problems in the Atmosphere and Cosmos
This workshop is intended to explore emerging problems related to the detection of nuclear weapons in space, the remote characterization of space reactors, and the long-term impacts of space propulsion technologies.
It will consist of 30-minute talks, followed by open discussion. The ultimate goal is to red-team each others' ideas, find overlapping interests, and identify new paths for intellectual pursuit.
All discussions will be subject to Chatham House rules.
Date: 08/20
Times: 09:30 - 18:00
Organizers: Prof. Jake Hecla and Prof. Areg Danagoulian
Location: 24-115 (meaning building 24, room 115, see here)
Parking:
- parking in Cambridge is a painful experience, so we recommend against it
- instead we suggest you use uber / lyft / public transportation / bicycle
Agenda
We would like to keep the talks more like discussions, hence we are suggesting a guideline: 40 min talk + 15 min Q&A. Lunch will be served. Coffee will be abundant.
- Coffee and check in, 9:30-9:50
- Areg Danagoulian or Jake Hecla, MIT, (brief) Welcome 9:50-10:00
- Palak Patel, MIT, Space Radiation Environment and Boron Nitride Nanotube Nanocomposite Radiation Shielding 10:00-11:00
- Areg Danagoulian, MIT, Searching for Fissionable Materials on Satellites, 11:00-12:00
- Alex Glaser and/or Raven Witherspoon, Princeton, Prelaunch Verification of the Outer Space Treaty, 12:00-13:00
- lunch, sandwiches will be served, 13:00-14:00
- Oli de Weck, MIT, Beyond the Solar-Power Frontier: Nuclear-Enabled Exploration and Settlement, 14:00-15:00
- Jake Hecla, MIT, Air-Breathing Nuclear Propulsion Signatures, 15:00-16:00
- Patrick Huber, Virginia Tech, Active interrogation in space in the context of mega-constellations, 16:00-17:00
- Matthew Daniels, ULTRA, Detecting Orbital Nuclear Weapons: Space Domain Awareness and the Future of International Security, 17:00-18:00
- Optional Dinner, at Area 4, 18:30-...
Slides:
Slides can be found here.