An application has been made to amend food irradiation rules in Australia.The proposal seeks to increase the maximum permitted energy level of machines generating X-rays for irradiating food from 5 to 7.5 megaelectronvolts (MeV) as long as the X-ray target is made of tantalum or gold.The assessment will not start until October 2023 with a comment period planned for early 2024, according to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). See https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/01/australia-to-consider-change-to-food-irradiation-rules/
In terms of propulsion, NASA’s efforts have aimed to advance proposals for nuclear-thermal and nuclear-electric propulsion systems. In the former case, a nuclear reactor is used to heat propellants like liquid hydrogen (LH2); in the latter, the reactor generates electricity for a magnetic engine that ionizes an inert gas like xenon (a.k.a. Ion Propulsion).See https://www.inverse.com/science/power-on-moon-lunar-night
In the coming years, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) will send two robotic missions to explore Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. One of the many challenges for these missions is how to mine through the thick icy crusts and obtain samples from the interior ocean for analysis. A possible solution is to use a special reactor that relies on fission and fusion reactions.See https://www.universetoday.com/159634/a-hybrid-fission-fusion-reactor-could-be-the-best-way-to-get-through-the-ice-on-europa/
