Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Hydrogen Compatibility of Refractory Carbide Fuel (U,Zr)C

Описание: How do we get humans to Mars faster and safer? 🚀 Atoms might be the answer.

In this seminar, Dr. Jhonathan Rosales, Nuclear Fuels Lead at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, explores the cutting-edge materials science making deep-space travel a reality.

Traditional chemical rockets face significant limitations in mass and transit time. Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) offers a transformative solution by using a fission reactor to heat hydrogen propellant to extreme temperatures, achieving much higher thrust and exhaust velocities. However, this creates a massive engineering challenge: developing fuel that can survive temperatures of ~2600°C and intense hydrogen-induced corrosion.
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About the Speaker
👤 Dr. Jhonathan Rosales is the Nuclear Fuels Lead for the Space Nuclear Propulsion Program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. He directs a multidisciplinary team developing advanced fuels for space applications and is a recipient of the NASA Early Career Achievement Medal. With a background at the Idaho National Laboratory and a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Florida, Dr. Rosales is a leading expert in the chemical compatibility of materials in extreme hot hydrogen environments.
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Key Discussion Points
00:00 - Introduction to Nuclear Thermal Propulsion
05:00 - Material Challenges in Extreme Environments
15:00 - Deep Dive: (U,Zr)C Refractory Carbide Fuel
30:00 - Experimental Results & Data Analysis
45:00 - Future Outlook & Mission Integration
55:00 - Q&A with MSMSE students and faculty
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