The proceedings includes talks given at the symposium and the banquet. They include examples of technology at the laboratory and speculation on the future at the laboratory. (GHT)

Sufficient data exist to provide a high level of confidence that refractory-alloy-clad ceramic fuel pins and refractory structural alloys can be used successfully in an operational space power system. However, data are not yet sufficient to ensure that these materials can meet the temperature, lifetime, and system mass envelope requirements for reliable operation of a 100 kW(e) system as specified by the SP-100 Project. Development efforts to provide these data are being initiated.

The Advanced Test Accelerator (ATA) is a pulsed linear electron beam accelerator designed to study charged particle beam propagation. ATA is designed to produce a 10,000 amp 50 MeV, 70 ns electron beam. The electron beam acceleration is accomplished in ferrite loaded cells. Each cell is capable of maintaining a 70 ns 250 kV voltage pulse across a 1 inch gap. The electron beam is contained in a 5 inch diameter, 300 foot long tube. Cryopumps turbomolecular pumps, and mechanical pumps are used to maintain a base pressure of 2 x 10/sup -6/ torr in the beam tube. The accelerator will be installed in an underground tunnel. Due to the radiation environment in the tunnel, the controlling and monitoring of the vacuum equipment, pressures and temperatures will be done from the control room through a computer interface. This paper describes the vacuum system design, the type of vacuum pumps specified, the reasons behind the selection of the pumps and the techniques used for computer interfacing.