Site-Directed Research and Development (SDRD)
Started in 2002 by Congressional authorization, the Site-Directed Research and
Development (SDRD) Program is an essential element of the NNSS technical enterprise. The SDRD program is
our premier science and technology venue and primary source for discovery and innovation for NNSS
national security missions. Similar to the laboratory-directed research and development (LDRD) programs
at the NNSA National Laboratories and production plants, SDRD enhances the technical vitality of the
NNSS by addressing the following core areas:
- developing and demonstrating innovative ideas and technologies to advance new
solutions to national and global security needs;
- enhancing core competencies required for current and emerging technical
missions; and
- retaining and recruiting individuals with critical skills.
Proposals are solicited every year and about two dozen projects tied to principal
thrust areas are funded annually. An annual report is released every April for the previous year’s
projects.
SDRD Highlights
SDRD Project Team Conducts Small UAS Radiological Survey
Flights at NNSS
Photographed left to right are Alan Horzewski (USI), Todd
Bagley (USI),
Manny Manard (STL), Rusty Trainham (STL), Hovig Yaralian (USI), and
Paul Guss
(RSL–Nellis).
An SDRD project team traveled to the NNSS in December 2019 to conduct a small unmanned
aircraft system (sUAS) radiation detection, measurement, and mapping mission. The team successfully
performed radiation scans over two Yucca Flat test locations using a small UAS equipped with a
high-efficiency radiation detector. This flyover mission was sponsored by the SDRD UAS initiative and
led by Rusty Trainham, a senior principal scientist from the NNSS Special Technologies Laboratory, and
Paul Guss, a distinguished scientist from the NNSS Remote Sensing Laboratory–Nellis. The unmanned
aircraft used was a hexacopter developed by Unmanned Systems, Inc. (USI), and the radiation detector
used was an Apollo gamma-ray imager developed by H3D, Inc. Representatives from USI and H3D also
participated in this exercise as collaborators and were an integral part of the team’s success.
Aerial radiological surveys have been conducted since the 1960s; what was new about
this mission was that the team conducted aerial radiological surveys using an sUAS, commonly known as a
drone, and a lightweight yet sturdy radiation detector that can be attached to a drone. The use of an
unmanned aircraft enhances radiation detection capabilities because an unmanned aircraft can fly much
lower and slower than a manned aircraft, enabling us to collect more detailed radiation measurements and
geographical information. An sUAS can also maneuver into an area that would be unthinkable for a manned
aircraft to access and collect data.
The H3D Apollo gamma imager was attached to the USI hexacopter and flown over the
Sedan and Baneberry craters. (The Sedan test was conducted on July 6, 1962, and the Baneberry test took
place on December 18, 1970.) The Apollo gamma imager weighs about 10 pounds, and it fits into a volume
of 18 by 3 by 4 inches. The hexacopter is about the size of a card table, and the gross weight is about
50 pounds with the payload and fuel. At sea level it can fly for up to 2 hours at a time, but at the
altitude of the NNSS the time is limited to approximately 30 to 40 minutes. It flew over a distance of a
few kilometers to complete the surveys. Data collected during the surveys demonstrated that greater
sensitivity and geographical resolution can be achieved with UAS technology. The project team located a
gamma hot spot that no previous radiological survey done in the area with manned aircraft had
identified.
The H3D Apollo gamma imager mounted to the USI
hexacopter.
The team recently (March 2020) revisited the Sedan and Baneberry craters to obtain
more measurements. During this visit, the team also traveled to the Palanquin crater (the Palanquin test
took place on April 14, 1965) to collect additional survey and imaging data.
These flights successfully demonstrated how UAS technology can be leveraged in support
of our national security missions, particularly in the area of emergency response and consequence
management. An sUAS can be used in conjunction with manned aircraft for providing a rapid survey of
radiation and contamination following a radiological emergency. The team is planning more field work to
further explore the ability of an sUAS to fly into and assess difficult areas such as tunnels and other
GPS-denied environments during national emergency situations. The team is moving closer to achieving
their goal of developing hardware, methods, and expertise to provide critical information that helps
protect emergency responders and the public in the event of a radiological emergency.
Watch the small UAS in action in this YouTube video.
Go to SDRD Annual Report
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Falcon: A Portable Dense Plasma Focus Neutron Generator for
Active Interrogation Applications
NNSS senior engineer Brady Gall and his team recently completed a three-year project
to design, build, and test the Falcon Plasma Focus, a compact yet potent dense plasma focus (DPF)
neutron generator for mobile active interrogation applications. The project, funded by the Site-Directed
Research and Development (SDRD) program, not only represents cutting-edge science leading the frontier
in pulsed power and plasma science, but also strengthens our nation’s ability to protect against the
threat of nuclear terrorism by providing a safe, cost-effective, portable solution for detecting and
defeating a smuggled nuclear threat.
Active interrogation involves directing nuclear radiation into a closed container and
measuring secondary radiations to gain information about the contents of the container. DPF systems
create short, high-intensity neutron pulses, making them capable of detecting and locating special
nuclear material hidden in cargo containers and vehicles. Unlike other large scale, stationary DPF
systems at NNSS, the Falcon is compact and portable, weighing only about 50 pounds; it can be readily
transported to border crossings, seaports, and other places where it is needed. By comparison, the
megajoule-class DPF system located at NNSS North Las Vegas Facility weights approximately 25,000 pounds
and occupies 650 square feet; the system is simply not practical to deploy in the field. The Falcon’s
small size, however, does not compromise its performance. The Falcon produces about 1 × 108
neutrons per pulse using deuterium fuel with a repetition rate up to 2 Hz, resulting in up to 2 ×
108 neutrons per second, which is more than enough for any portable active interrogation
mission.
Gall and his team spent the first two years designing a new plasma source and pulsed
power driver, researching and testing new lightweight hardware, and energizing the system for neutron
production. The final year of the project culminated in an experimental series to measure active fission
products from nuclear materials using signal from the Falcon in a multi-lab collaboration with teams
from NNSS and NNSA laboratories. These experiments successfully demonstrated that the portable DPF
system can be used for active interrogation of clandestine special nuclear material. The significance
and innovation of this project was recognized when the Falcon was selected as an R&D100 Award
finalist for 2019.
Read a summary of this project in the SDRD FY 2019
Annual Report.
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Marylesa Howard, 2019 PECASE Recipient
Marylesa Howard, an NNSS scientist and mathematician, was one of the recipients of the
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2019. The
names of the recipients were announced by President Donald J. Trump on July 2, and the award ceremony
was held at the White House on July 25. Established in 1996, the PECASE is a prestigious award that
acknowledges contributions young scientists and engineers have made in the advancement of science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics education as demonstrated by scientific leadership, public
education, and community outreach. It is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government to scientists
and engineers in the early stages of their careers.
“I see this as being much bigger than me,” Howard said. “This is also about the NNSS
being recognized for the powerful research enabled here. I came to the NNSS for a job, but what I’ve
found here is much more than a job. It is a mission I’m proud to serve, groundbreaking research to which
I can contribute and a sense of belonging among the people with whom I work. This is an absolute honor,
one of which I would have never dreamed.”
Howard joined NNSS immediately after earning her PhD in mathematics from the
University of Montana in 2013. Since then she has established herself as an influential leader among
scientists in Nevada, at our nation’s national laboratories, and at universities across the country. She
is a highly productive researcher, a champion for women in science, and an enthusiastic partner in
scientific and educational outreach. She is regularly invited to speak at universities and professional
conferences.
Among her recent accomplishments was her role in leading a team of scientists in
developing a new approach to image segmentation, where an automated method quantitatively determines
which parts of an image correspond to different objects in a street scene, different materials in an
x-ray image, or different components of an item on an assembly line. She invented the first statistical
method that allows a user to characterize parts of an image, but then automatically characterizes the
rest of the image, even with the ability to correct any mistakes made by the user. Her invention has
been incorporated into a software tool that has been copyrighted and licensed to Sandia National
Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and many
universities.
“Marylesa’s technical contributions are vital to the security of our country,” said
Mark Martinez, president of Mission Support and Test Services, the management and operating contractor
for the NNSS. “Her work is integral to our mission, and I’m very proud to have her as part of the NNSS
team.”
You can read more about her and her work in the NNSS press release.
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