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Ethical Considerations Associated with Exploration and Analog Environment Research
Published in Lauren Blackwell Landon, Kelley J. Slack, Eduardo Salas, Psychology and Human Performance in Space Programs, 2020
Kristen Pryor, Cliff Haimann, Eric Dunleavy
After the end of the Holocaust, the world had to face the reality that medical doctors in Germany had performed experiments on human subjects that were often cruel in nature. Unfortunately, at that time, there was little consensus in the scientific community regarding what constituted legitimate research as opposed to illegitimate, inhumane experimentation. During the latter part of the 20th century, scientists collaborated to formally codify standards that could guide ethical research, and these standards have since been applied to medicine and the social sciences; however, now as humanity’s reach is extending further into space, new questions about the ethics of extreme environment research are arising, and researchers inevitably have to consider (1) whether this research can be evaluated using current ethical guidelines and (2) whether new ethical standards are required given the unique nature of emerging research streams (e.g., a manned trip to Mars).
Alternative Plasma-Facing-Material Concepts for Extreme Plasma-Burning Nuclear Fusion Environments
Published in Fusion Science and Technology, 2019
In the context of fusion PMI, the integration of low-Z coatings on refractory metal substrates also has been challenging given the poor adhesion physical and chemical vapor deposition techniques encountered when ultimately exposing these surfaces to the extreme conditions of a burning plasma fusion reactor. Innovating materials that can adapt to these extreme environments without necessarily incurring damage over time is the focus of recent fundamental research, but this work remains nascent. Establishing a translational research effort that seeks to credibly develop a commercial-scale process and technology of novel adaptive and self-healing PFC materials remains elusive with no clear external or internal technology drivers. A separate materials challenge involves the role of gamma-ray and neutron-induced damage in the bulk of future plasma-burning neutron-dominated fusion environments. These conditions consist of high-energy neutrons that implant at several millimeters to centimeters into the bulk structure of the material and regions radially along fusion blankets.