Norris Bradbury, left, in front of the Kiwi B4-A reactor used to power a nuclear rocket in the 1960s as part of Project Rover. Photo Courtesy LANL

LANL NEWS

Los Alamos National Laboratory will host a panel at the Santa Fe Institute’s InterPlanetary Festival about the Science of Vintage Space on June 15 in Santa Fe. The event is free and open to the public.

Both current and retired experts from the Laboratory will talk about the critical role LANL played in the early days of the space race, such as developing sensors for satellites to detect nuclear explosions in space that resulted in the discovery of gamma-ray bursts and insights into solar storms. Panelists will also talk about how LANL’s expertise in all things nuclear led to the development of nuclear-powered rockets (such as Project Rover) and nuclear fuel for spacecraft, as well as today’s development of nuclear reactors for powering future space colonies.

The panel will include Alan Carr, Ed Fenimore, Herb Funsten, Jackie Lopez-Barlow and Morrie Pongratz. The event will be held from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. at the SITE Auditorium, 1606 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe. For more information, visit https://interplanetaryfest.org/events/the-science-of-vintage-space/.