Steve Howe, PhD

Director - Center for Space Nuclear Research (CSNR)

Dr. Steven D. Howe was appointed the first Director of the Center for Space Nuclear Research (CSNR) on August 12, 2005. He assumed duties on September 19, 2005.

Formerly, Steve was with the Program Element manager of the Reactivity and Compression element at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).  This element is part of the research program in the Stockpile Stewardship Program at the LANL.  He was also a senior advisor to the Division Leader of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE).  LANSCE is a major research facility at LANL that comprises a high-intensity, 800 MeV proton beam for a variety of applications.  The LANSCE division employs over 350 technical people to perform research in neutron scattering, proton radiography, and fast-neutron physics.  He has an active Q clearance.

Over the past few years, he has also been involved in developing new, small businesses to commercialize the use of antiprotons.  He is currently the CEO and co-founder of the Hbar Technologies, LLC based out of West Chicago, Il.  Hbar Technologies is pursuing the development of a low energy source of antiprotons for use in a variety of commercial applications including Homeland Defense, space propulsion, and medical treatments. From October, 2000 to January 2002, he left LANL to become the Senior Scientist for Tolemac, LLC in charge of developing a business direction for commercialization of antimatter technologies. Prior to this position, he was President and Co-founder of Synergistic Technologies, Inc. (part time at LANL from 1998 to 2000.)  While President/CEO of Synergistic Technologies, he was the Principal Investigator on 3 Phase I SBIR and 1 Phase II SBIR awards dealing with 1) the development of a low energy beam line of antiprotons at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory,  2) antimatter storage concepts, and 3) antimatter driven space propulsion concepts.  He also investigated the use of antiprotons to create radioisotopes for Positron Emission Tomography and to treat cancerous tumors.

Prior to joining Tolemac, he worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for almost eighteen years.  Originally, he completed his thesis in medium energy particle physics and then moved into nuclear weapons physics, i.e., nuclear reactions in plasma conditions.  Toward the end of his tenure, he resumed his research in X-Division in weapons physics by examining details of the fission process and x-ray transport.   In between, he developed new programs for the Laboratory in the areas of advanced space propulsion, space exploration technologies, bio-medical instrumentation, defense programs, nuclear systems, and hypersonic flight.  He was the Laboratory's project coordinator of the nuclear propulsion effort, team leader of the gas core nuclear rocket project, project manager for the Zero-gee Float Zone Furnace, and Design Physicist for the Villita nuclear test.  The program development activity required both an understanding of new front-edge technologies and the ability to communicate the potential of these technologies to potential sponsors. 

In addition to his regular activities, he is a published author of fiction having published the novella, Wrench and Claw, in Analog magazine.  He also published the novel, Honor Bound Honor Born, which detailed the possible development of the first commercial base on the Moon. In addition to over fifty technical papers published worldwide and published fiction works, he has also appeared in numerous television programs about space and rocketry.  Steve's television credits include: "Living and Working in Space", PBS and Sci-Fi channel; "Mission to Mars", Ultra Science, The Learning Channel;  "Rocketships," Discovery Channel  (June '98); "Rockets in Space", Wingspan (August '98);  and "Voyage to the Milky Way", PBS, (May '99).