Sholtis Engineering & Safety Consulting

Ten years of technical & programmatic experience with research & test reactors — to include serving as an NRC-licensed Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) and Reactor Facility Director of a 1.0 MW(t) pulsing TRIGA research & test reactor at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (1980-84); obtaining DOE Section 91 B Authorization for USAF construction & operation of a 1.0 MW(t) steady-state TRIGA reactor facility at McClellan AFB, CA, to primarily conduct non-destructive neutron radiography inspection of F-15 wing sections for the USAF (1986-87); as well as creating and serving as the first Director of the USAF Nuclear Regulatory Authority with licensing, regulatory, and safety oversight responsibility over all USAF nuclear energy systems,  facilities, and technologies for space, missile, and unique terrestrial applications (1987-93).  Forty-three years of technical experience & programmatic involvement with space nuclear power and propulsion systems, programs, and missions — to include serving as Program Manager of the $700M joint DoD/DOE/NASA SP-100 Space Reactor Power System Development program for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, while assigned to DOE HQ (1984-87); serving as reactor technical expert to the United Nations COPUOS, its Technical and Legal Subcommittees, and its Working Group on Nuclear Power Systems for Space (1984-1987); serving as a Member of the Launch Abort Subpanel (1975-87), Chair of the Power Systems Subpanel (1987-1993), and DoD Coordinator (1989-1993) of the Interagency Nuclear Safety Review Panel (INSRP) for all US nuclear-powered/heated space missions launched from 1975-2004; as well as direction of the joint Sholtis Engineering & Safety Consulting, University of New Mexico Institute for Space & Nuclear Power Studies, and Sandia National Laboratories contractual effort to characterize and advance plutonium-238 oxide coated particle fuel & fuel forms for future DOE-produced RPSs for space use and unique applications on Earth. In addition, principally as a consultant, involved in numerous studies, analyses, evaluations, and assessments of advanced space nuclear technologies, systems, programs & missions; to include documentation of the findings, results, & recommendations in reports and presentations to middle and top management within DOE and its National Labs, NASA and its Centers, DoD, NRC, EPA, the National Academies, the Administration (White House OSTP), Congress & the United Nations. Overall, involved in every U.S. space nuclear power and propulsion system development, and every nuclear-powered or heated U.S. space mission launched since 1975 — a total of fifteen missions: Viking I & II; the USAF Lincoln Experimental Satellites 8 & 9 (LES 8/9); Voyager I & II; Galileo; Ulysses; Mars Pathfinder “Sojourner” rover; Cassini; Mars Exploration Rovers “Spirit” and “Opportunity”; New Horizons – Pluto; the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) “Curiosity” rover; and the Mars 2020 “Perseverance” rover missions. Also, during 2009-2010, participated in the National Research Council, National Academies study and report of ‘Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) for Space.’ During 2014-2015, served on the Executive Committee, led the Safety Team, and substantively participated in NASA’s ‘Nuclear Power Assessment Study.’ And, during  2021-22, participated in the study and documentation of a National Academies Committee Consensus Study of ‘Space Nuclear Propulsion Technologies’ for NASA cargo & crewed missions to Mars in the 2030s.  Currently, supporting next-generation (and beyond) advanced RPSs (for future cryobot ocean worlds and solar system exploration), and reactor system conceptualiztion & evaluation (for in-space power & propulsion, as well as lunar & Mars surface power) through collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).  And, most recently (Feb 2024- present), serving as a Consultant to the Space Nuclear Power Corporation, and their efforts with Lockheed Martin, to design, develop, validate, build, launch, and demonstrate (in space) a low-power Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) platform for DoD, NASA, and US commercial industry applications in cislunar space. Therefore….the adventure continues!!!